Looking For A Miracle
by jay-bird95
Summary: No shadowhunters, just humans. When Clary's mom dies she has to go to live with her father, who's an abusive drunk. At school, she tries to hide away, not get any attention, but it's hard not to when the best looking boy in school seems to refuse to leave
1. Chapter 1 No Hope

**Hi! Thanks to everyone that's readind this, I would love to continue it, this is my first story so I dont care if your reviews are harsh or not, but I would really like some! If anyone reviews at all then I'll continue, but if no one does then I'll take it as a sing that no one likes it and I'll stop... but anyways on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I really wished that I owned these characters, but sadly, I do not.**

**Chapter 1 – No Hope**

"Hey Clary, do you want to come over after school?" asked Simon, as he pushed his dark hair away from his eyes, which were gazing intently at his best friend.

"Sure, my mom won't mind, she's going to be a work until around 5." She looked back at him and smiled, enjoying how the light in his eyes sparkled when she smiled.

They were hanging out like they normally do, lounging in Simon's bedroom playing on his play station when Clary's phone started vibrating. Pausing the game she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Clarissa Fray?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"I'm sorry to be the one to inform you about this, but there has been a terrible accident. Your mother has died.

Clary's voice stuck in her throat, her eyes already watering. With a shaky voice she asked, "What? How?"

"A transport truck lost control and swerved into oncoming traffic. Your mother was driving in the other lane when the truck hit her, I'm so sorry."

Simon, immediately knowing something was wrong, walked over and gently put a hand on her back, "Clary, what is it?"

She looked at him with eyes fill of tears, she tried not to cry but once the first one spilled, they all came tumbling after. Simon took her in his arms, hugging her, telling her it will be okay, but even as he said it he knew that neither of their lives will ever be the same again. He didn't know what was wrong, but whatever it was it must have been serious, since Clary hardly ever cried.

Between sobs she managed to say "My mom, my mom is dead." Simon gasped silently at this, Jocelyn, the kind spirited lady that made him cakes every year for his birthday, was gone. And she wasn't coming back, his eyes started to water but he held them back, he needed to help Clary, this was worse on her than it was on him.

Over the next few weeks, Clary lived with Simon, whose mother kindly offered her a place to stay, but it was not permanent. Even though Simon's mother offered to house her, she already had a guardian, her father, who her mother had left before she was born.

But the paper work was filled out, and everything was set and ready for her to live with her father, and she wasn't looking forward to it. Her mother never talked about him, but she knew of the scars on her mother's back. She had never been allowed to see him, and now she was just being put into his custody like that, without her opinion at all.

Her father lived in a little town in the middle of nowhere known (and not by many) as Idris. It was hard to find this place on a map, since its population was so minute. She rode in the front seat of the police car to her father's house, a small house beside an enormous country house. She was surprised that her father would choose to live where his house was always being compared to the mansion.

There were kids playing outside the mansion, two boys and a girl, who all stopped their game of throwing the football to watch her drive by, and stop at their neighbor's house. Clary started shaking as she walked up the stairs and to her father's house.

The police officer knocked on the door and a large man with white hair opened it. His dark and unforgiving eyes inspected Clary and then lightened as he spoke to the officer.

"Hello, Mr. Morgenstern this is Clarissa Fray, your daughter."

He looked her up and down, signed the page and brought her inside without saying a word. Then he walked to the door to the basement a said, "Clarissa, this is my study, you come in here, and you will wish that you hadn't, your room is upstairs, you will be responsible for making your own food and getting up and ready in the mornings. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

With that he left, leaving her standing in the hallway with all of her luggage, which wasn't that much. She brought some stuff upstairs and found her room immediately, it was small and dusty, and looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time. The bed was narrow and creaked when she sat on it. The thought of sleeping in her bed disgusted her, but she repressed the feeling for later, she had too much on her mind right now, but she was happy that she wouldn't be starting school for another week.

The third night that she was at her father's house was the first time he came home drunk. He walked into her room, swaying slightly, and the absent look in his eyes was her warning that he was not the same. With his slurred speech, he told her that it was her fault that he lost everything he ever loved, as his merciless hand came down again and again against her petite body, leaving marks against her pale skin.

The next morning she couldn't move. She could feel the marks that his fists had made into her torso. She wanted nothing better to do then to lie there forever, but a rumble of her stomach told her that she needed to move. Getting up, she winced as she moved her arms, which had taken the worst beating since they tried helplessly to protect her body.

She cringed at the sound of her father's voice as it drifted through the house. There was another person there too. She dressed so that her marks were unseen, maybe he could not recall the attack from all the alcohol in his system?

She made her way to the kitchen, and as she made a simple breakfast her father walked in.

"Ah, Mr. Hodge, this is my daughter, Clarissa, this is our neighbor, Mr. Hodge."

"Good Morning, Mr. Hodge," she said politely, then added, "what a lovely house you have."

"Thank you, but that isn't mine, I just live there. I am Mrs. Lightwood's brother, and since her and her husband are often out of town for their job, and they need someone to look after their children, so they called me up."

"That's very fortunate for you," she said, still smiling, but wanting to leave the small room, her father was way too close for her own comfort, "now I'm sorry but if you'll excuse me, I have to go have a shower."

She left the room, and raced up stairs quietly. Shutting her blinds, she ate her food then closed her eyes, willing sleep to take over, and her sore body to heal.

**REVIEWS ARE AWESOME BTW ! :)**


	2. Chapter 2 My Angel

**Okay, thank you so much for the reviews! And I'd like to thank Thorntangle for her amazingly constructive review. After rereading it again I noticed that I had a few spelling mistakes in my Authors Note.. now that's embarassing. Well, I also tried to describe everything more, I hope that it is good enough for you all! :)**

**I also noticed how short the last chapter was so I added alot more... **

**Disclaimer: Dont own.. :(**

Chapter 2 – My Angel

Monday mornings were usually terrible for her, she didn't want to get up and have to somehow tame her curly hair into something respectable, so that she could go to school looking presentable. But unfortunately since the first time, he had beaten her once more, this time putting more bruises on her neck, so a pony tail was out of the question. Picking a pair of well-used jeans and long sleeve t-shirt, she brushed her hair. Placing cover-up on her right cheek, that had been bruised, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Approving the image, she grabbed her back pack, some food for lunch, and walked the few kilometers to school.

Once at school, she noticed a new problem. Being such a small town, everyone knew everyone, and a new student quickly made it the hot topic to gossip about.

She didn't want attention, she didn't want to be seen. She wanted to hide, to run away, she didn't want anyone to see her. It was at this moment when she wished that she could be invisible, but not all things are meant to be, and she remained completely noticeable as the other kids stared at her, commenting on her every move.

She sighed inwardly, but kept her head high. If she was going to be hurt at home, then school will be the only safe place, so looking at her new high school, she now regarded it with a new perspective. It was her haven.

Smiling at the thought, she walked to the office. She sat down waiting for her turn to visit the principal.

"Clarissa Fray," the secretary called in a nasally voice. Before, Clary would have laughed, but her chest hurt to move, so she just smiled, and walked into the principal's office.

"Why, hello, you must be Clary, and I just wanted to welcome you to Idris High. I am the principal, Mrs. Herondale. I hope you like the school," with that she was given her time table. "These are your classes for the semester, I got you into all the classes that you had at your old school, so I hope that you aren't behind at all."

Leaving the warm office, she thought that her haven might actually be exactly its name. The principal was such a kind woman, Clary could feel her warmth and kindness roll off her in waves, helping Clary stand a little taller and hold her head a little higher, despite the rejection of her ribs.

There were still lots of time before the warning bell rang, so she wandered through the semi deserted hallways and found each of her classes, happy that they lay-out of the school was so straight forward.

Then she went to her locker, and found a group of people in front of it. Both athletic guys and very pretty girls formed the circle, right in front of her locker. Currently, there was a boy that was talking, she couldn't see his face from where she was standing, because of her height, or lack of that it, but she could see that whatever he was talking about he was reenacting with large movements of his hands.

She stood there waiting, knowing that they would disperse and the blond boy would leave, bringing his group of admirers with him, but no, once the bell rang he turned and went to the locker beside hers, opening it expertly.

Perfect, she thought, she has a popular person's locker beside her. She walked slowly up her locker, but it wouldn't open. Heat started creeping up to her cheeks as she noticed that her neighbor noticed her struggle. Trying one last time, she went to each of the numbers perfectly, yet it still wouldn't open!

"Do you need help with that?" He asked her, and she looked up at him, finally getting a good look at him, noticing immediately why he was popular. He's gorgeous, she thought. His perfect wavy hair and beautifully toned honey skin, over tight muscles, but not overdone like body builders. But that wasn't what caught her attention, it was his eyes. They were mesmerizing, not one solid color, but every shade of gold.

It took her a few moments to answer, "It's, not working." Great, she thought, she was talking to the hottest guy in school, and now he thinks that she's mentally retarded. He smiled, oh my! She thought, he has a beautiful smile, full of teeth, and joy, he really meant it when he smiled. While she was staring, she saw his lips move but didn't catch what he said.

Her cheeks automatically turned red, and she lowered her eyes so that he wouldn't see her embarrassment, "Sorry, I didn't catch that, could you say it again?" When she gained control over her features again she looked up, and noticed that he was waiting for her to look at him again.

"I asked you what you're combination is, there's a secret to it, and it takes a few months to perfect." He flashed her a cocky smile as she recited her combination. His hand reached past her and opened the locker. On the first time. Maybe there was something that she was doing wrong?

"What's the secret?" She looked up and asked him, hoping that maybe she would be able to open her lock the next time. Once was definitely quite embarrassing enough.

"Now, it wouldn't be a secret if I told you, now would it?" His eyes glinted devilishly.

"That's not fair! How will I open my locker again? What, do I have to wait until you come to yours to put my stuff away until I discover the secret?" She bit back a smile, knowing that part of her was secretly hoping that he would say yes, just so that she could talk to him on a more regular basis.

"That was my plan, but now that you found out about it, maybe it isn't so good?" After a moment of thought, he said "Too bad, I'm not telling." He smiled, and that immediately erased any anger she had towards him.

"Fine, at least tell me your name so that I may know who must open my locker. Well, unless that's a secret too?"

"That, is indeed one of my most cherished secrets, I do not let anyone know about it, not no one, especially not the cute new girl." He winked, sending heat through her body. HE called ME cute, she thought, she almost needed to lean against her locker, but she fought the urge, showing that it had no affect on her.

At that moment, a boy with messy dark brown hair walked up, and called "Hey, Jace. I need to know if we have practice after school."

"Yah, at 3, don't be late or coach will make us all run extra," her locker opener (Jace) called over his shoulder. Looking back at her, he smiled sheepishly, "I guess that the secrets out?"

"Yes, it definitely is," she said with a smile, she almost laughed, but her ribs protested immediately and she winced, unfortunately Jace noticed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, a look of caring on his face. As if he cared, she thought, he doesn't even know me.

"Nothing," she lied.

"You are a terrible liar, what's your name anyways?"

"That, is a secret, you must not know." She winked back, and he smiled at the joke, "But I have to go to first period, see you later" She smiled

"That definitely isn't fair, I told you mine."

"Technically not, have a good day Jace," she said as she walked away, leaving him standing alone in front of his locker.

He watched as she left, and silently cursed to himself. He tried most of his tricks and, by now, the girl should be clinging to him, wanting him to be hers, yet this new girl, she seemed to make him try harder and harder, with no effect. He sighed and locked his locker, heading to his first class, the different direction than her. He wondered why he cared that she wasn't in his homeroom. He tried to shrug it off, but he could still feel it's presence in the back of his head as he walked to his class.

Clary sat at the back of class, and tried not to talk to anyone, but everyone came up to her, since she was new. She learnt so many new names and found out that not everyone had the same attitude as Jace. Some of them were actually nice, but she knew that she shouldn't get close to any of them. She was no one, not even her father loved her, making friends just made her sad to think about. She needed trust to make friends, trust she didn't have to spare. Her father broke her trust, and she didn't know if she could ever rely on anyone again.

She thought of Jace, of his shaggy blond hair and his stunning eyes. No, she thought, she couldn't talk to him. She had to avoid him. Guys like him go through a new girl a week, and when she fell for someone, she always fell hard. Right now, she couldn't afford to have her heart broken, it was the only thing that her father couldn't damage, so she had to keep it intact any way possible. And if that meant that she had to distance herself from Jace, she would.

A question from the teacher woke her from her deep thoughts, looking at the board quickly, she answered the question. The teacher, her smirk quickly erased from her face, just said, "Okay class, let's pay attention now."

Clary paid attention for the rest of class, understanding easily the history her teacher was talking about. She smiled, liking this class. Her teacher was reenacting the roles of the people she was teaching about, a smile lighting up her middle-aged face.

The bell rang much too quickly for Clary's taste, silently wishing that she could stay in her first class.

She knew how to get to her next class, thankful of her early morning exploration. Being one of the first ones there, she walked up to her teacher, introduced herself, and was assigned a seat in the back. Perfect, she thought, exactly where I wanted to be. She sat down in her chair, and got comfortable, preparing for the next hour of math.

The bell rang and the teacher started taking attendance, but just before she got to Clary's name, the door opened once again, and he walked in. A sheepish smile on his face, he told the teacher, "Sorry I'm late, I had to stay late in science, cleaning up the experiment we did today."

"That's all right Jace, just sit down and try not to interrupt our lesson again."

Clary looked around, and noticed with a disappointment that the only seat left in the class was the one that was right beside her. He looked at her and caught her eyes, a smug smile displayed across his full lips. She sighed out loud, but her insides were squirming with joy, a feeling that she could not repress.

"Clarissa Fray?" The teacher asked, returning to the attendance.

"Here, but I prefer Clary," she said quietly, trying to avoid him staring at her, his smile widening.

Leaning close he asked her, "Clary is it? That's a nice name. I don't know why you made it such a big deal before."

"Maybe I didn't want to talk to you?" She told him a little harshly. Good, she thought, that ought to deflate his ego just a bit. It's way too big for his own good.

"That's bull and you know it, everyone wants to talk to me."

"Not me, I am paying attention to this lesson." With that she turned towards the blackboard and felt her heart ache at the slight hurt look that flashed across his eyes. But just as fast as it came, it disappeared, leaving his usual arrogant look.

He didn't know what to do, this never happened to him. He felt his mouth turn down at the obvious rejection, and quickly masked the feeling. He was Jace Lightwood, he could get any girl he wanted, and he was sad that one turned him down? He didn't know why, but he felt attached to this girl somehow. Never before has he ever felt this, but he couldn't tell anyone, no, it would go away, but it has to. He subconsciously noticed her every move, and how she looked at him out of the corner of her eye when she thought that he wasn't watching.

She tried to pay attention to the class, but all she felt was his presence, so close to her. Why, she thought, why did he have to sit there? She sat there, fidgeting until the lunch bell rang when she ran out of the door, the first one out.

She didn't realize her dilemma until she reached her locker and couldn't open it. She tried what she remembered he did, but it still wouldn't open.

Soft, but muscular hands gently pushed her aside and opened her locker. She looked up and saw him open her locker on the first time. Had he already memorized her combination?

"I guess that you didn't think this far ahead when you decided that you didn't want to talk to me? If I were you I'd stay on my good side, or else you won't be able to get to your stuff." He winked at her, and she felt her heart flutter in her chest.

"If you just told me how, then I wouldn't need to talk to you," she said sharply.

"You won't get what you want that easily, sometimes you have to learn the hard way."

"Fine, I'm leaving." She slammed her locker door, angered by his stubbornness.

He watched her walk away and mentally slapped himself. She was a puzzle, while every other girl was so easy to understand, she was a mystery.

They didn't have any more classes together, nor any encounters for the rest of the day, until she arrived at her locker at the end of the day. She groaned when she saw him, at his locker. She thought about waiting a few minutes until he was done so that she could go to her locker in peace, but then how would she get to her locker?

She walked up and told him, "Open my locker, I would like to leave."

"Do I get a please?" His eye glinted mischievously.

"Please, better? Now just open it, I want to go home."

"That's a lot better," he skillfully opened her locker and then looked at her again. "You live beside the Lightwood's, right?"

She looked at him suspiciously, and then nodded, mentally kicking herself for telling him where she lived. She was like a puppet and he was the puppeteer, she would do anything he asked.

"Would you like a ride? It's a long way to walk, and there's always room in Isabelle's van."

She was surprised by the offer, but she knew better than to accept. Giving Jace what he wanted would be the first step to getting attached. She shook her head slowly.

"I insist, I won't even be in it, I have practice tonight," he said, closing her locker. He put a hand on her shoulder to guide her to his foster brother's van and she flinched, a look of pain on her face. Before he knew it she was out of reach, the look wiped from her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, a look of complete worry across his face.

"Don't touch me," she said simply, her voice low. She turned and walked out, he knew that his offer was unwanted. Not now at least.

As he ran in practice, he thought of Clary walking home. He thought of her flinching, and knew that something wasn't right. Why was she so scared of him?

As she walked home she thought of Jace. He touched one of her worst bruises, causing instant pain. She saw the hurt and panic in his eyes as she cringed away from him. She touched her shoulder, right where he did, and felt the slightly swollen part that held the shades of blue and green. She couldn't get close to him, she couldn't trust him. He was just a boy. And that's what she repeated in her head the rest of the way home. He is just another boy.

She was in her small room, its bare walls were evidence of the hostility of her house. The naked hardwood floor was cold on her small feet. Her bed groaned in protest at her weight being placed on it as she did her homework.

It was around nine thirty when her father came home, and she knew when he knocked over the umbrella stand in the front hallway that he was drunk. In his slurred speech he called up to her "Hey! Bitch! Get down here right now, before I have to go up to you."

She would stand up to him, but not tonight. Tonight she would do as she was told, maybe she'd get it off easy if she listened to him? As she walked down the wooden stairs to the main hallway she realized that she was wrong. His eyes were full of fury as his hand came down on her face. She blocked it, backing away when she tripped over the umbrella stand. She twisted her ankle and cried out in pain. Her father looked at her with unforgiving eyes as he kicked her, again and again.

As he came and kicked her, she imagined Jace coming in, his golden eyes alight with fury. She imagined him pushing her father off of her. Startling him and hurting him. She imagined him saving her, picking her up with his strong arms, holding her close to his body, protecting her. She smiled as the image of him embracing her flashed in front of her eyes.

When her father was done, she tried to get up, but her ankle restricted her movements, so she lay there, and fell asleep with the image of Jace in her mind. In her fantasy he was her protector, her angel. She dreamt of angels for the first time that night, Jace there looking after her.

**Review please! :)**


	3. Chapter 3 Worthless

**Heey, sorry for the wait, it's just that I decided that I wouldn't post until I got the next chapter done, but I'm stuck on this one part! So I'm just posting this right now, Merry Christmas! :)**

**Disclaimer: I dont own this.. sadly :( -- really wish i did btw**

**In this chapter I decided to invite Isabelle more into the story, and her role will greatly increase in further chapters. I'm planning to introduce, most if not all of the characters into this, but I just cant figure out the perfect way to, understand? :P**

**Well, heres the chapter :)**

Chapter 3 - Worthless

She woke up to the sound of her father having a shower. Trying to get up, she gasped at the sudden pain as she put weight onto her left ankle. Falling to the floor, she used the banister to help her up a second time, going to her room and getting her clothes. By the time she had picked a suitably large and covering outfit, her father was done and she could go have her own shower.

In the bathroom she inspected her wounds, it was the worst yet. She even had a large bruise on her hand, which she was unsure whether she could cover it up. Also, the one on her cheek had grown, and gotten darker. She looked at her naked body in the mirror, disapproving the sight. If she couldn't even like what she looked like, how could anyone else?

She had her shower, and got dressed her favorite pair of gray sweats, a navy blue tee-shirt and white sweater. Leaning forward, she put make-up on her cheek bruise, but it wouldn't cover it up completely, you could still see the faint signs of the discoloration. Next, she put come on the back of her hand, to hide it a bit, so that it was less obvious.

She hobbled down the stairs, grabbed some food for lunch, shoved it in her back pack and limped her way to school.

At school she was met with the same crowd of people as before, but instead of Jace leading the conversation, it was one of the prettiest girls that Clary had ever seen. She was tall, with long ink black hair. She had sharp features, and could only be described as beautiful.

Jace cut in, saying a joke that made everyone laugh. His eyes searched the hall when the girl started talking again. They were looking around and came to rest on Clary. Their eyes met, and he started smiling. He gestured to her to come over into the circle, but she shook her head, refusing. She didn't want to talk to anyone, especially not him, but he wasn't making to job easy for her.

She wobbled around, in a vain attempt to ignore Jace. Whenever she saw him she didn't see the cocky, arrogant side of him, she saw her angel, the man who saves her in her dreams. This made him almost impossible to refuse, but she held onto the fact that he wasn't an angel, he was just a high school jock.

The bell rang and she went up to her locker, which he opened her locker for her, "Good morning Clary," he said with a smile.

"Morning," she said quietly and started to limp off to her home room, not wanting to speak with him. He did things to her, she didn't even understand how he made her feel, and she was sure that he didn't feel the same for her. She looked behind her while she was retreating, and saw his gaze on hers. His face was crossed between surprise and sadness, the look cause her heart to tighten.

She stopped and turned around to face him, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with your ankle?"

"Nothing."

"Why don't you tell me anything about you?" he asked simply, his eyes downcast, as if he didn't want her to read them.

"I…" she didn't know how to tell him. She definitely couldn't tell him about her father, that was definitely out of the question, but she couldn't not say anything. She looked at him, and waited for him to return her look. When their eyes met, she said, "I can't let anyone in right now, not yet." With that she turned around and walked away, ignoring the feeling of her heart screaming at her to turn around, to tell him the truth.

But that was the truth, she argued with herself, just not all of it. That is enough, he should be satisfied by that, and he couldn't ask her for everything, could he? And if he did, would she tell him? She looked down, now unsure of her own self control. She could only rely on herself, but now she was unsure, who could she depend on now?

Homeroom went by in a blur, she couldn't seem to focus on anything, her self confidence slowly fading away with each passing moment.

Her eyes must have showed that she wasn't completely there, because even in math Jace didn't bother her, but he never kept his eyes off her for long, as if he was afraid that she'd disappear when she wasn't looking. She didn't pay attention and was caught several times, but she didn't seem to mind.

All she could think about was how maybe she was the weak person her father referred to her as. While he hit her, he yelled that everything that had ever gone wrong in his life was because of her. Her mother left because she didn't want her baby to be hurt like her, he was alone because of her. He had to work extra hours to pay for child services because of her. All of that, for nothing, because she was no one, she was going nowhere.

She looked down as a tear hit her desk, thinking of her father.

"Clary, please tell me what's wrong." She looked up into Jace's worried eyes.

"I…" her voice caught in her throat, as she tried to hold back the sobs. After the first tear fell, they started rolling freely down her cheeks.

"Oh Clary," his eyes were full of panic, as the bell rang and he stood up and held her. Her head, pressed against his warm shoulder, but she wouldn't let him be her angel. He would only let her down, like she has let herself down.

She turned around and left the classroom, going to the girl's bathroom with all her stuff, crying like a little girl in a stall. That's when she realized that it was useless, crying like she was. What did it accomplish? Nothing. She was worthless, so what did it matter if she was crying, no one would care.

Drying her tears, she exited the stall, only to see the gorgeous girl from that morning fixing her make-up. Looking in the mirror, she saw her reflection and almost felt like locking herself in the stall again. Her face was red and blotchy, her eyes swollen. The make-up that she had put on that morning had run down her face, leaving long streaks where her tears had set their course. Thankfully, her bruise was still partially covered, and if you didn't know that it was there, you would have no idea of the large discoloration on her cheek bone.

The girl didn't even seem to notice, until Clary went to the mirror and took a damp cloth to cool down her face.

"Here, I'll help you." She looked up, surprised to see the girl offering to help her. Unsure of what to say, she just looked at the girl. Apparently, the girl took her non-response as a yes because she reached into her expensive purse and pulled out a large make up bag. Removing the essentials, she looked over Clary's face. "I'm Isabelle by the way."

"Clary."

"I know, Jace told me all about you, he wouldn't stop at dinner."

"You had dinner with Jace?" She couldn't help but feel some jealousy towards the girl. Of course he takes her out to dinner, she gorgeous.

"I live with him, he's my brother. Well, we're not technically brother and sister, he's my foster brother, Alec is my real brother." Isabelle was slowly putting a soft cream on my face that reduced the blotchy red color. Clary couldn't suppress the joy that went through her at the thought that she wasn't his girl friend, and on top of that, that he spoke about her to his family.

"I feel sorry for you, Jace seems to be quite a handful." Clary joked, trying to brighten her mood.

"He's not that bad, you just have to get to know him. You should give him a chance." Isabelle spoke slowly and reluctantly, as if she didn't want to admit it but it was the truth.

"A chance to what? He'll break my heart Isabelle, I can't live like that, not now."

"He's not like that. He may seem like he goes through girls like Kleenex but he really doesn't." By now, Isabelle had reached her cheek, causing Clary to whimper and back away from her offending hand. Putting her weight on her sprained ankle she screamed and fell to the ground.

"Clary! Clary, are you all right?" Isabelle looked panicked, making sure that she was okay. Clary took deep breaths, in and out, and slowly the intense pain left her ankle.

"I'm better, thank you." Standing up carefully, she inspected her face in the mirror, it had returned to its normal color, if it was natural, or Isabelle's magic make-up she wasn't sure. You couldn't even see her bruise, which was probably why she had touched it. "I have to go now, good bye."

She left the bathroom as fast as her ankle would let her, leaving a confused Isabelle in her wake.

She already had her books for her last two classes, so she didn't go to her locker.

*Talking about Jace now*

He got to second period and saw her sitting beside his spot, almost bringing a smile to his face, until he saw hers. She was looking into the distance, her eyes vacant, as if she wasn't all there. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. If she wanted to talk about it, then she would. He looked at her again, and saw the black circles under her eyes, as if in need of sleep. She looked so fragile, he just wanted to hold her, tell her that everything would be okay.

Near the end of the lesson, water pooled in her emerald green eyes. He watched as the first tear drop hit her desk, the teacher still oblivious to her state.

"Clary, please tell me what's wrong." He saw her vacant eyes meet his.

"I…" she tried to answer, but it was in vain. The tears rolled freely down her face as the lunch bell rang.

"Oh Clary." He stood up and held her like he's wanted to hold her ever since he met her. Her head was fit perfectly into his shoulder, as if it was meant to be there. His hand absently stroked her back, as she tried to catch her breath.

All of a sudden she left, leaving the classroom, limping on her hurt ankle, tears still free falling down her face.

Jace stood there for a while more, trying to comprehend what just happened. He gathered his books and went to his locker, looking subconsciously at Clary's. She wasn't there. He waited for a while, until he ran out of excuses to stay there, and succumbed to his best friend Alec's pleas to go outside.

He spent all lunch in a trance, unable to focus at all, thinking solely of Clary and her crying face. He even waited a few extra minutes by her locker, just in case she came by to get her books for the afternoon, but she didn't and he seemed to be out of luck to see her, since he shared no classes with her in the afternoon. The only thing that brightened his spirits was that at the end of the day she would have to go to her locker to return her school supplies.

*Back to Clary*

The end of the day finally came. Clary was not happy, she loved school, well, it was better than home. Home, she thought about the word. Her home was back in New York, not here, in this small town with her father. A home was supposed to be safe, warm, comfortable, but her home was definitely not that.

Slowly walking to her locker, she was relieved to see that Jace wasn't there. She tried to open her locker, and several attempts later she almost gave up, pulling and pushing on her lock in a vain attempt to open it. On the fifth time that she pulled it, it miraculously opened. Subconsciously a smile lit up her face at the accomplishment. She turned around and was about to leave school and walk home when she saw the long blond hair and golden eyes that had already become so familiar.

"Clary…" He looked like he wanted to talk, but she just shook her head. She wasn't ready for that yet, she just wanted to go. He was about to open her locker, but she shook her head, indicating that she already did. He opened his locker, put his books away, and then turned to talk to her, but she had already gone, disappeared into the rush of students hurrying to leave the school and hang out with all their friends.

With no practice that night, he and Alec met Isabelle in the parking lot and got into her van. As always, she was talking about nothing, just talking for the sake of hearing her own voice, that's what Jace thought. He was staring aimlessly out the window when he heard Isabelle mention Clary's name, immediately raising Jace's interest.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, at lunch I heard someone bawling in the girl's bathroom so I waited until they came out, and it was that new girl, Clary. She looked pretty bad, so I gave her some make-up, talked to her for a bit, and then something really weird happened. She backed off really fast, but put too much weight on her ankle I think, so she fell. After that she ran out of the bathroom real fast."

"What did you do?" Jace's expression was hard, still looking out the window as she was stopped at a red light.

"I was putting foundation on her face, and I started doing her cheek. Right when I touched it she freaked." The light turned green and Isabelle stepped on the gas, causing the car to jerk.

"Stop the car! Right now! Isabelle!" Jace, while looking out the window, saw the petite redhead walking, well, trying to walk on her sprained ankle, home. Isabelle, seeing her, pulled over and rolled down her window.

"Hey, Clary, come on in I'll give you a ride."

"No thank you," she said so politely, yet there was a firmness that told that she didn't want to talk about it.

Jace rolled down his window and added, "Get your ass in here, you are in no condition to be walking, so stop protesting and get in here."

Clary was so tempted to do it, to walk over there and get in the car with them, but she knew better. Giving into Jace would cement the fact that she has no self control around him, that she has given him her heart trusting him not to drop it and step on the pieces. Looking at his face, she knew that she had already given him her heart, she trusted him. Her heart fluttered at the sudden realization.

She smiled but then remembered her father's harsh words. How true they were, how she was no one. She had no hope with Jace, he had a future, unlike her. Shaking her head and muttering a quick no, she turned away, and felt her heart compress at leaving him behind. She refused to look back, knowing the sad puppy look that would be on his face for the moment. It would soon be replaced with his cocky grin, she thought. He would have already forgotten me by then.

She saw Isabelle's van drive off, and felt Jace's eye follow her all the way until the van turned the corner. She was almost home anyways, she reasoned, it wouldn't be a long walk. But, everything is longer when you're alone she realized, but kept her head up. If she was going to be insignificant, the least she could do was be unique about it. She would not let her father's words crush her any more than they already had.

When she finally got to her house, she went inside and lay on her bed, enjoying the peace and quiet of the old house, when there was no one there to turn it ugly. Lying alone on her bed, she realized that she liked the house, it was cozy enough, but it was the person that shared it with her that made it the terrifying and dreadful place she regarded it as.

**Reviews are awesome, and may save Clary from her father for a bit longer ;)**


	4. Chapter 4 A New Perspective

**Hi!! Sorry for the delay, I didn't have any internet for a while, and I had a writers block, couldn't think of how to write a part in it. I hope you enjoy it, !**

**If you see any spelling mistakes can you please tell me? Its always good to know :)**

**Normal Disclaimer - dont own anything**

Chapter 4 – A New Perspective

She woke up, happy that her father did not have time to go to the bar before he came home last night, it would have been the terrible cherry on top of her depressing life. She dressed in her usual morose colors, trying to blend into the background while she was at school. She wanted to enjoy her hours there, unlike her hours spent at home, worried whether or not her father would come home under the influence. Putting make-up on her cheek bruise and hand bruise, she noticed that they looked even worse than yesterday, but she sighed, knowing that there was nothing that she could do about it.

Right when she got to school she felt a sense of belonging. At that moment she realized that her father was wrong, there were people that cared about her. She wasn't completely useless, she could prove him wrong. And she would. Isabelle caught her eye and signaled her to come over, to join the group. She felt like taking a risk, there was no way that she could fall any more than she already had. She had been to rock bottom, and she found that there's a way out of it. With that thought in mind, she joined to circle.

Jace immediately looked at her, a smile growing on his face. He walked over to her side of the circle, ecstatic that she had finally decided to be social.

"Hey," he whispered his voice low. He had to bend down slightly to get close to her ear, since she was so much shorter than him. Her skin tingled where his breath touched, causing her own breathing to hitch. "You seem to be in a much better mood today."

She smiled, just the thought that he noticed her change in attitude made her heart beat faster. "Yes, I… realized something when I came to school today."

"And what was that?"

"Now that is a real secret, one that you will never know," she winked up at him, imitating his arrogant grin.

"Now you're learning," he winked back at her, send warmth that reached all the way to her toes.

They looked back at the circle, which had continued talking, not realizing that both Jace and Clary were preoccupied. Well, all except for one girl. Clary looked at her, and she stared right back, as if she could inflict injury with just a look. This girl was exceptionally pretty as well, but Isabelle beat her. As if she knew that, this girl improvised with showing skin and make-up. She looked part Chinese, and had full lips.

"Hey everyone, this is Clary, she just came here on Monday," Isabelle spoke up beside her, introducing her to everyone in the group. But, the odd part of the introductions was that Isabelle on gave her the names of certain people in the group, not everyone. Clary was somehow relieved about that, if Isabelle had given her everyone's names, she would've had a new person overload.

The taller boy with messy black hair that had talked to Jace on Monday was introduced at Alec, Isabelle's brother. Looking between the two Clary noticed the similarities, they both had the same delicate bone structure that made Isabelle so beautiful and the same shaped eyes, but while Isabelle's eyes were brown, Alec's were a beautiful shade of blue. They were almost more striking than Jace's but that was because his stood out with his delicate figure, while Jace's golden ones worked together with his honey skin and blond hair.

The gorgeous Asian was named Aline, and when she was introduced she didn't smile, she just looked Clary over, as if she were sizing her up or something. She did it in a way that made it seem like her and Clary were in a competition for something, but what Clary had no idea. The smirk that she wore after, Clary realized that whatever the competition was, Aline seemed to think that she had the upper hand.

Maia was a pretty girl as well, but she didn't advertise it as much as the other two girls. She wore loose jeans and a punk tee-shirt. She smiled at Clary when she was introduced, and in that smile was true warmth, telling Clary that unlike Aline, she was nice.

After the introductions, the bell rang, and Maia walked up to her, asking if she was going to be eating lunch with her, Aline and Isabelle. The sense of belonging flooded her once again as she accepted the invitation, she really liked Maia already.

At her locker, Jace offered to open it for her, but she refused, intent on showing him that she can do it herself, but after the third time and his arrogant smile growing in size with each second, she let him do it. He opened her lock on the first time, effectively inflating his ego about that much more.

"Maia invited me to eat lunch with her." Clary said simply, just to see what his reaction would be.

"That's good, she's a nice girl, so is Isabelle." He seemed sincere when he said so, but she couldn't help but prod, even though she knew that by not mentioning her he didn't want to talk about it.

"Aline?"

"I don't want to talk about her." For the first time, he was the one to close the conversation.

"Okay, I'll see you second."

He smiled at the thought, "See you."

She didn't realize it before, but Maia was in her history class, so she switched and talked to her all class, appreciating more and more what a good person she was.

Math came much too quick, and she was sad that she couldn't talk to Maia any more, but thinking about Jace made her forget about Maia and unintentionally play with her hair. She went to her spot at the back and waited for Jace to come. It was at that moment that she noticed Aline was in her math class, sitting in the middle of the class.

She gave Clary a dirty look, then spotted Jace walking into class. As if putting a show on for Clary, she walked up to him and stood really close to him. She whispered something into his ear, a hand on his bicep. He looked confused for a second then politely took a step back, effectively putting distance between him and Aline. He said something and then walked away, taking his seat beside Clary.

Aline looked furious, as if he slapped her across the face. Seething, she took her spot, careful to let her much too short skirt ride up in just the right spot so that Jace could see it, and the teacher couldn't.

He shifted nervously in his chair, uneasy with the present circumstances.

Laughing to hide the jealousy that was flaring inside of her, she leaned over and whispered to Jace, "I think that Aline's showing you her underwear." Seeing the disgust go across his face was more than enough to douse the raging fire of jealousy that was eating away at her facade.

"I know, I want to tell her to stop, but I think that it would be rude. Do you think that she'd mind if I told her to cover up? I mean, I have already tried several times to tell her that I don't want her like that, but she doesn't get the point."

"I think that she'd mind terribly, since she obviously likes you. She'd be embarrassed and rejected, don't you think?"

"What makes you think that she likes me?"

"Um, Jace? She is showing you practically her entire butt, wanting you to look at it. She threw herself at you when you came in the door and keeps glancing discreetly back at you. There is no doubt in my mind that she likes you."

His face looked full of thought as he leaned back to his desk. His face still looked like it was working something out as he left the class, completely ignoring Aline as she tried to get his attention. Again.

Leaving the classroom Clary met up with Maia and Isabelle, eating lunch for the first time with other people. For the past few days she had been going outside and reading during her hour long break. Today, though, she would eat with her new "friends", if she could call them that. She didn't know them, but she was glad that she was meeting new people.

Aline joined them for lunch, completely ignoring Clary, which didn't go unnoticed for long before Maia did something about it.

"What's your problem Aline?" Maia instinctively gathered more air into her chest, puffing it out to make it look bigger. Aline looked instantly offended, her dark brown eyes seeming to narrow as she looked more closely at Maia.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you like Clary?" Aline's eyes flickered to Clary's, showing extreme dislike in their dark centers.

She stood up and prepared to leave, but before she did, she looked at Clary, "You better watch who you're going after, because sooner or later you're going to realize that some boys just keep coming back to the same people. Maybe they'll have some other stops in between, but deep down, he belongs with me." She turned around and left in a huff, leaving the other two girls confused.

"What was that about?" Isabelle finally joined into the conversation. "And why did she switch from some boys to him? Clary, do you know what she was talking about?"

"Um, yeah I do, but she seemed pretty pissed off, I don't know if I should say."

"Clary, if you don't tell us right now we will go over there and tell her that you did." Maia looked as if she actually would tell Aline that Clary told them."

"Jace," she said in an unsteady voice, "she likes Jace and thinks that I like him too."

"Do you?"

"No, we're just friends."

"What did she mean go back, I didn't know that she hooked up with Jace?" Isabelle made a funny face, as if she were imagining something that she didn't want to. "Ew, I just got bad mental pictures of Aline and Jace."

"I think that I'm scarred for life." Maia pretended to throw up, making a gagging sound as she did it.

The girls laughed as the bell for the afternoon rang, and they all went their separate ways to their classrooms.

At the end of the day, Clary couldn't find Isabelle who had promised her a ride home, so she started walking. It began to drizzle, becoming steadily heavier as the seconds passed until it was completely pouring. She wished silently that she had stayed longer at school to find Isabelle. She increased her pace, going as fast as her healing ankle would allow.

"Clary!" She heard her name called, but it was so faint she didn't know if it was her imagination or not, so she kept on walking.

"Clary!" She heard it again. This time it was a lot stronger than before, so she turned her head and saw Isabelle's van diving slowly beside the curb, Jace's window open as he called her name.

He saw her look at him, and opened the door to run out to her in the rain.

"Clary, are you insane? It's pouring out, you're going to get sick. Come on, Isabelle and I looked for you after school, but you weren't there." His eyes looked sad as he spoke of looking for her, especially of not finding her. "We had to stay late in class, and when we got out, I guess that you had already left?"

"Yes, I couldn't find her and had assumed that she had left without me." She looked down, trying not to look at his gorgeous face. It was still beautiful, even as the constant streams of water ran down it. Her eyes went to his shirt, and watched how the water made it cling to his perfectly toned muscles.

"Clary, look at me," his eyes begged for the connection, which she happily gave. She then saw his features get distorted, as he saw something that he didn't want to. "What's on your cheek? Is that a bruise… oh my god, Clary, what happened?"

She quickly brought her hand to her face, covering her bruise, but not realizing that there was a bruise on her hand too. His face went from confusion, to realization, to concern in a matter of seconds.

"Clary…" He reached out to grab her arm but she backed away, putting too much pressure on her ankle and tripping while trying to gain balance again. Flying backwards she hit her head on the bench. A sudden pain exploded from the back of her head, throbbing. Instinctively she put her hand to her wound, and brought it back. Seeing the red liquid on her hand, she started shaking.

"Oh my God, Clary, it'll be okay. Isabelle! We have to take her to the hospital."

She was still trembling as Jace picked her up and enveloped her in his arms, holding her tight as he carried her to the car. He whispered that it would be okay, everything would be fine. She tried to explain that just being in his arms made everything better, but no words came out, just another flash of blinding pain. She willed it to go away, she wanted, no, needed to look at Jace, at his worried features as he carried her to the car.

Jace didn't stop holding her as he got into the car, only pressing her face against his wet shirt and cradling her body to protect her from Isabelle's scary driving. She looked up and their eyes made contact. She just stared at his eyes as she drifted away, her eyes slowly closing. She didn't want them to shut, she wanted to look at him forever, never letting go. She smiled up at him one last time before giving in to the intense throbbing at the back of her head. But not before thinking that at that moment, he was not the arrogant, cocky Jace, he was her Jace. Her angel.

**I'm thinking of getting more personal conversations between Clary and Jace, what do you think of that?? And just to keep the suspension going Jace isn't going to figure out that shes being beaten by her father, at least for a while...**


	5. Chapter 5 Savior

**I had a sudden inspiration and wrote this chapter and the next from it, I hope that you guys like it, unfortunately there's not much talking in this one, more just Jace's feelings but it's important to me. There's much more J/C in the next chapter, which will probably be put up around Wednesday, sorry for taking so long to update!!**

**Normal disclaimer.**

Chapter 5 - Savior

Jace cradled her head on his lap, crying her name even after her eyes had closed. His already soaked light blue t-shirt was getting stained with her blood, but he didn't care. His voice shook as he called her name again and again, hoping that maybe she'd hear it and come back to him. An unfamiliar pressure began to build behind his eyes. He stopped saying her name for a second to touch his eyes, and found them wet, and not only from the rain. He was crying. Jace Wayland was crying.

The last time that he had cried was when he was six and he had fallen off the play structure, breaking his ankle. Even then it short. After the first stab of pain he got accustomed to it, and he stopped.

Alec was speeding to the hospital, driving as fast as he possibly could in the New York traffic. With many angry drivers in his wake, he travelled swiftly through the city. He tried to keep his undivided attention to the road, but his mind kept wandering to Clary and Jace, what would happen to Jace if she was seriously injured?

Only Isabelle noticed the tears in her brothers' eyes. She felt a sudden pang of sadness as she realized that he would do anything for the broken girl resting on his lap. Jace was stroking her hair, brushing it out of her much too pale face. He was still whispering her name, over and over again, so quietly that Isabelle wouldn't have known what he was saying if it weren't in light of certain events.

The squeal of brakes broke Jace from the silent bliss of touching Clary's hair. Looking up he noticed that they were at the hospital, the place where Clary could be saved. In one fluid motion, he tenderly picked her up, and rested her head on his shoulder. Racing out of the van he jogged to get to the hospital.

The receptionist in the hospital had just put down the phone and sighed. It seemed that everyone called the hospital for the smallest of things nowadays. There were patients waiting all around the room, some coughing, some limping and some seemingly fine patients. She took a sip of her coffee as she thought that it was another boring day, where everything was behind schedule, and where her skills as a receptionist were not needed.

Suddenly, the front door flew open, and a teenager came barging through them. He was tall and very muscular with shaggy blond hair that slightly curled with water droplets falling from it. In his arms was a small girl with very curly red hair. It took a moment for her to realize that the blond boys' shirt was covered in blood, and another for her to call emergency.

After the blond came in, two other people entered through the swinging doors. They were both beautiful, with long slender limbs and oval faces. They rushed to the bloody girl and boy when the paramedics came running into the entrance with a stretcher. They tried to take the girl from the boys arms but he resisted, not wanting to let her go.

Talking about Jace.

He burst into the hospital, and almost every eye was on him. He saw the receptionist quickly call for help, and he was relieved, at least for a second, that someone was doing their job correctly that night. He looked down at the fragile girl in his arms, wishing her eyes were open so that he could see her green eyes. So that he could tell her that everything was going to be okay.

The paramedics rushed in with a stretcher, and got to the spot where Jace was standing. They wrapped their arms around her, to move her to the stretcher, but Jace was momentarily stunned. Why were they trying to take her away from me, he thought. He couldn't let her go, he couldn't let her out of his sight. It was his fault that she got injured, he had to help her.

"Excuse me sir, but she has a pretty severe head trauma, and has lost a lot of blood. She needs to go to the ER. Immediately."

"I can't let her go…" His voice cracked at the admission.

"Jace," Alec walked beside him and put a warm hand on his back, "You want to help her, but the way to do that is to let these gentlemen care for her. There's nothing you can do so please, for Clary, let them help her."

He stiffly carried her to the stretcher, knowing that what Alec said was true. He looked at her and delicately put her down, as if she would break into a thousand pieces. He didn't let go of her completely though, he held her hand, even as the stretcher was being pushed through the hallways. Alec and Isabelle tried to follow but a doctor stopped them with a sympathetic look on his face. The doctor was like no one that neither Alec nor Isabelle had ever seen before. He was tall with multi-colored hair sticking up in every direction, and he was covered in sparkles.

"Hello, I'm doctor Magnus and I'm sorry, but only family can go with patients to the emergency room." He looked almost sad, as if he hated the thought of stopping these teenagers from seeing their friend.

"But Jace…" Alec was immediately annoyed, who did this shiny man think that he was, telling him and his sister that they couldn't enter while Jace had just gone in and he obviously wasn't related to her.

"I know that that young man isn't her relative, but from what I just saw I don't think that that'll stop him from trying to get into the room."

Isabelle gave a short laugh, thinking about what Jace would do to get into that hospital room without permission. "Yeah, that definitely would not be a good idea. What Jace wants, he normally gets."

"Now, would you mind telling me what happened?"

Alec and Isabelle gave him a brief summary of everything that had happened, not only that day but everything that they know about Clary. When they came to the part in the rain, they weren't quite sure what had happened, they couldn't hear what had been said from inside the car, with the rain pouring down and all.

"Well, Jace ran out to get Clary, and it looked like they talked a bit in the rain. Then Jace said something and she covered her face, then he reached out to her and she backed away. She has this sprained ankle, and I guess that she put too much weight on it or something, because she just fell backwards and hit her head on a bench."

"Is it possible that the two were arguing and Jace pushed her?"

Isabelle and Alec looked as if he had slapped them across the face. "No," Isabelle said unsteadily, "Jace would never hurt her. Never."

"What if he had told her that he was in love with her and she did not share the feeling, would he have reacted violently?"

"Jace doesn't love," the look on Alec's face was one of realization. "Isabelle, is it possible?"

She was equally as stunned as Alec, but then she remembered the talks at dinner and the emotional scene in the car, in the hospital. His insistence to drive her home. "Oh my goodness, Alec, I think that he's in love with Clary."

"Maybe love is a bit strong…"

"He was crying on the way here, in the car. I saw it with my own eyes or else I would've never believed it."

"Jace was crying?" Disbelief was sprayed across his face at the thought. "This is worse than I thought, I thought that he just liked her, wanted to get a girlfriend or something, but crying." He shook his head, as if it were not possible to think of his brother crying. Maybe he did love her, would he still be the same? His mind was thinking about everything that could happen if Jace was actually in love with this girl and he didn't like it.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation here, but could he have reacted violently?"

"No." Isabelle's answer was firm. "He probably doesn't even know that he loves her yet, and if he did he definitely would not have told her. He would've kept it secret, helped her out for a few weeks then asked her out. He likes to make things gradual, and would never have just dropped 'I love you' like that. It's not how he works." Now that she thought about it, Jace was the perfect boyfriend. No wonder Aline liked him so much. Then again, at the thought of Aline, Isabelle was mad. Aline didn't like her brother because he was the perfect gentleman, it was cause he's good looking. The doctor snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. When Jace comes available I will ask him for his series of events. Then I guess we'll know why she backed up." The odd doctor walked away, but not before sending a wink to Alec, who was too stunned to speak. He felt heat creeping up to his face, and he tried to suppress it, but her couldn't. He looked over to Isabelle who was laughing. If it was possible he got even redder.

"Th-that w-was weirrrrd." Alec stuttered, trying to regain his composure. Isabelle just laughed harder.

Talking about Jace.

Jace held her hand as she was rushed to the ER. The doctors were saying that she would need stitches, but Jace wasn't paying attention. He was staring at her, she looked so peaceful it was almost as if she was sleeping but the doctors around them said otherwise. She looked angelic with her serene expression, and it hurt him to think that somehow it was his fault for hurting her. If he hadn't pressed about her bruises, maybe she wouldn't have backed up. Or if he didn't have to stay after school then she would've just taken the ride.

His head started to hurt from thinking about it, and a motion from the stretcher caught his attention. Clary started moving, and looked up at all the doctors. She looked terrified and she was panicking. She tried to get up and away from the doctors, but with practiced hands they pushed her down. Jace leaned forward and when she saw him she immediately calmed.

"Jace…" her voice came out as a croak and he immediately put his finger to her lips.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Shh, it's okay, you're at the hospital, and everything will be okay."

She tightened her grip on his hand as a doctor injected a fluid into her neck. Jace stayed low and kept whispering sweet nothings in her ear until her entire body relaxed, and her eyes slid gently closed. She once again had a peaceful expression.

They entered an empty hospital room, and a doctor stopped while the others kept pushing Clary into the room. He gently grabbed Jace by the arm and held him back. "I'm sorry sir, but you aren't allowed in there while we put in the stitches. When we are done we will come out and you may enter but not until then."

Jace started to protest, but the doctor insisted. Then an idea came to the doctor, "Jace, it would be dangerous for Clary if you were in there, you would be in the way which would be potentially dangerous." Once Clary's safety was on the line, Jace quickly grabbed a seat and waited.

After what seemed like forever to Jace, who was sitting as stiff as a board on the chair, a doctor opened the door. "Jace, we are done now, you can go in, but she isn't awake yet."

He got up stiffly, silently stretching his muscles that had been inactive for too long. He tried to keep his pace at a normal speed, but who was he kidding? He wanted to get in there as fast as possible. He paused at the door and peeked in.

Clary was asleep, or it seemed. Her skin was pale and her fiery red hair was placed neatly around her head, but she was still wearing her blood stained clothes. He got to her and brushed a stray piece of hair of off her face, his fingers tingling when they touched her. He took a seat and gently took her hand in his, preparing to wait there until she woke up.

He couldn't place the emotion that was running through his veins. He had liked girls before, but it was never like this. He had a lot of girls chasing after him, is this what they felt when they touched him? No, that's impossible, they just went after him for popularity. He sighed, and looked at the girl in front of him. She was so different than the others, she seemed to like him, then at the last minute she pulls away, as if she is unsure about what she is doing, or scared.

He was getting frustrated thinking about why she kept shying away, trying to put everything together, the bruises, the ankle and how she refuses to speak of some things. He looked at her face and finally noticed the bruise, it wasn't as bad as he thought it was, or maybe it was just the light. In the rain it looked like a dark brown, but now it was very pale, it still looked like a bruise, but one that she had gotten a long time ago, scarcely there.

He remembered how she looked in the rain, before he saw the bruise. She has such fair skin that with the rain rolling down her face and soaking her hair, made her seem like her skin was shining. He couldn't describe what she looked like when she saw him, her startled face giving her the look of an innocent. What was he thinking? She was always innocent. But then a word came to his head. Angel.

He was just the average popular teenager before she came along. After meeting her he wanted to be someone else. Whoever she wanted him to be he would be. She made him look at his group of friends and saw that they were all the same, clones of each other. They all wanted the same things, to be popular, to date a hot boy or girl and wear the best clothes.

Clary changed that for him, especially how he looked at Aline. Now she just annoys him, especially how now that he doesn't pay as much attention to her. She's always trying hard to regain that attention, in many vulgar ways, like the skirt display in math class. He looked at Clary, and noticed something. She was his angel. His savior.

**I really would like a beta reader, so please if you want to be one, message me!**


	6. Chapter 6 Nightmares

**Heyy!!! So I thank you all for the reviews, from now on im going to personally reply to all of them, just to show my appreciation!!**

**Id like to thank RoseTwilighterDP and Caitlyn Herondale, without you guys this chapter would have really sucked alot more than it does now! :)**

**and also this is really important: I noticed and inconsistancy in the previous chapters. One of them is that at first Isabelle's driving but then it's Alec. IT REALLY IS ALEC, HES THE DRIVER.**

**the next is that they arent in Ney York anymore, Clary moved to Idris when her mother died so in the last chapter when i was explaining about weaving through new york traffic or something, it really is wrong because they arent in new york!!**

**Disclaimer: Normal stuff, dont own it**

Chapter 6 – Nightmares

Isabelle and Alec entered the room, looking at Jace. His facial expression was a mixture between confusion and worry.

"Hey, bro, you've been here for over an hour. Go get yourself some food or something." Alec said, tossing Jace a twenty dollar bill. Jace, startled, looked at the clock and knew that Alec was right. He had been sitting in the same spot wondering about the mystery of Clary was for an hour. He turned to Alec and that's when he noticed the stiffness in his legs. He looked at Clary one last time before getting up and going down to the cafeteria in the hospital to find food.

There wasn't much of a line-up since practically no visitors were at the hospital at 7:00 P.M on a Wednesday. He quickly bought some food for himself and his siblings, but he silently hoped that Clary was up so he could give her some of his food. He mentally kicked himself. Clary was upstairs in blood soaked clothes with stitches in her head, and all he was thinking about was if she would like to have some of his food.

Jace jogged up the stairs, eager to get back to Clary. He arrived at her room and leaned against the door, panting slightly from running. She was still asleep and he was somewhat relieved about that, he didn't want her to wake up alone. Well, not alone but without him.

He sat down and offered some food to Alec and Isabelle who ate it with a thank you. Isabelle tried to keep up a conversation but Jace was distracted, thinking that every movement that Clary made meant that she was waking up. Alec just sat there, watching Jace but Isabelle didn't give up. She started going on and on about what she did today, completely zoned out by the boys.

Clary stirred and she shifted her weight onto her left side making Jace really excited. Is she finally waking up? She put a hand (not the one in Jace's) on her head and winced when she touched the back of her head. Her eyes scrunched shut and she slowly relaxed her them but they didn't open.

"Jace…" It came out as a whisper but she didn't move her mouth much. It was more like she just breathed out, and the word came with it.

"Shh Clary. It's okay I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He put his other hand on top of their hands and leaned forward to reassure her of his presence. He was always going to be there for her, forever.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around, taking in her surroundings and who was with her. Her eyes passed Isabelle and Alec then stopped on Jace. She smiled and knew he was still her angel. He saw her smile and he felt his own grow across his face.

"Umm, I'll go get the doctor, tell him that you're awake. Isabelle, come with me." Alec and Isabelle left, giving them some privacy but their exit was unnoticed by the other two. They were staring deeply into the others' eyes.

"Jace, I…" She wasn't sure what she was going to tell him but she had to say something.

"No Clary, it's okay. You don't want to talk about it and I respect that. I just want you to know I only want the best for you." Jace smiled and Clary's heart fluttered in her chest. He cared for her, and he didn't want her to be hurt which is why he reacted the way he did earlier.

"You… You care about what happens to me?" She knew he did but she wanted to hear him say it, so that she could cherish it forever.

"Clary, I don't know why but every time I see you hurt it feels as if part of me is hurting too. Every time I see you I feel as if I should stay beside you forever, protect you from everything, and so far I'm doing a pretty crappy job." He looked down at his feet as if he was ashamed or embarrassed by what he had just said.

Clary waited for him to look up so he could to see her radiant smile. Maybe normal Jace was more angel than she thought.

Jace looked up to her face and grinned. He slowly leaned in but he seemed unsteady. She put a hand on his beautiful face and tried to keep it still so she could memorize it. He kept on getting closer, looking nervous. His expression made her laugh silently. Jace being nervous about anything. He stopped, their noses practically touching, and asked, "Are you laughing at me?"

"That depends."

"On what?" He urged her to go on.

"If you're going to do what I think you are or not." Clary smiled at him and he grinned.

"What do you think that I'm going to do?"

At that moment the door flew open and the colorful doctor came in. He looked at the teens and then noticed how close Clary and Jace were. He made a face then shook his head slightly before taking to Clary.

"Clarissa, I'm sorry to say that you have to stay overnight. To do so you must change out of those clothes and into these." He handed her a hospital gown. "If you need help then…"

"No!" Her face was panic-stricken, as if the thought of someone helping her would end everything and, in her mind, it would. Having someone help her change would mean that they'd see the bruises and that wouldn't be good. Once they found out that her father beat her they would realize how useless she really was and then Jace would be disgusted. No, she had to do it herself.

The doctor raised an eye brow, confused by her reaction.

"I'm sorry," she said, "If someone will help me out of this bed, then I will change in the bathroom." The doctor nodded, reluctantly.

"It's not recommended that you move, with your head injury, but if after that you lay in bed, like a good girl, then everything will be fine." Clary nodded obediently.

Jace and the doctor helped her to the bathroom and with an apologetic smile, she closed the door behind her. There was a mirror in the bathroom and as she stripped she saw her reflection. She gave a sigh of relief, glad that no one was in there with her, before examining her body. Her torso was still covered in purpling bruises as well as her upper thighs and arms. She looked at the robe that she was provided and gave another sigh of relief. It was long sleeved. If it wasn't then they would've seen the blue and green bruises, which were the worst on her body, on her forearms. Those were her protection bruises as she kept the majority of the bruises from hitting her face, where it would be hard to cover.

She pulled the gown on cautiously then exited the bathroom and attempted to walk to the bed. They had wrapped up her ankle so she could walk on it but the pain in her head quickly made her dizzy and the world seemed like it was spinning around. She stumbled sideways and landed in Jace's arms.

She felt her body relax as if her body instinctively felt protected in his arms. He whispered into her ear, "Maybe you should get help now?"

She just smiled as he helped her stand and supported her to the bed. She looked at the bed and wondered how she was going to get up there. Jace had apparently already thought this through because once she got there he swept her off of her feet and placed her gently on the bed.

She started blushing and looked around the room to see Isabelle and Alec sitting in two chairs against the wall. The doctor looked down at his notes with a frown on his face.

"Clarissa, we are trying to contact your father, but he is currently unavailable, we couldn't reach him on his house phone or cell. Do you have any other relatives that we could contact?"

She winced as he said father and she hoped that Jace didn't see, but by the way that he was looking at her it was doubtful.

"No, my father is my only family. My mother died in a car accidents a few weeks ago…" Fresh tears came into her eyes as she thought about her mom.

"I'm extremely sorry for your loss but we need to contact your father somehow. What time does he usually get home from work?"

"It depends…" She thought about the nights that he went to the bar and the nights that he just came home late. "It's usually late though."

"Okay, we will leave a message on the front door. Do you wish to see him tonight?"

"No," she said and then realized she had said it too doctor had raised his eyebrow questioningly again. "I mean, he's a busy man, I'd hate to disturb his work for him to come out here." She quickly added, hoping that the doctor believed her.

The doctor nodded, accepting her answer then asked, "Is it possible that he's still at work?"

"Yes."

"We will contact there before we leave a note. Notes are always so unreliable but we'd hate for him to think that his daughter ran away and call the police now. That would cause a big mess" He smiled as if laughing at an inside joke, but then his face became instantly serious again.

"I'm sorry to bother you about this, but Isabelle and Alec here couldn't explain what had happened to make you fall, so if you could take a moment and tell me, then it would be truly appreciative.

Clary and Jace looked at each other, silently deciding who was going to talk. Clary motioned for Jace to go and he started with how he had had to stay late after school so Clary had started walking. "You see, she has a sprained ankle so it isn't good for her to be walking long distances." Clary shot him a look, hating being thought of as weak. "So when we caught up to her in Alec's car, I yelled to her to come with us the rest of the drive home. She couldn't hear me so I went out to get closer to her and we talked bit." He looked at her, his eyes silently begging her to continue, as if he weren't sure about the rest.

"When I," she paused, thinking up a lie, "tripped over my umbrella stand, I somehow managed to bruise my face and the back of my hand." She held up her hand as if it were proof. "Now that I think about it though, it seems pretty impossible to do that. Well, Jace saw my cheek bruise and assumed the worst, I guess. It didn't get much better that I tried to cover it up with my bruised hand." She put in a small laugh, as if the incident amused her.

"I don't know why, but I reached out, and she backed away from my hand."

"The next thing I knew I was on the ground, the back of my head throbbing in pain." She smiled, but not at the memory of the pain but of the sight of Jace over her. "I passed out when he got me into Alec's van, I think; I don't really remember much of the last few moments." That was a lie, she thought. She remembered it perfectly, but only Jace, nothing else.

"Perfect, thank you so much for your time. Have a good day Clarissa. Oh, and only one visitor is allowed to stay in the room past 8, hospital rules."

Isabelle and Alec immediately stood up, "Here Jace, you can stay."

He nodded to them in appreciation. They were the best friends that anyone could ever imagine.

"Good night Jace, don't keep her up too late, she needs her rest." The doctor left the room with Isabelle and Alec following in his wake.

"Jace?" Clary called him right after the door had shut. Her voice sounded weaker than before. Jace noticed the difference and immediately pulled up a chair beside her bed, holding her hand.

"Yes?"

"You don't have to stay." She let out another breath.

"Do you need me to? With your dad not here and everything." He was silently begging that she would say yes but she didn't notice his inner desire.

Clary didn't know what to say, she wanted him to but it seemed like too much. "I couldn't ask you to do that." She looked down, afraid that he would just leave.

"That's precisely why I'm asking you since you're too nice to ask me. You will be alone tonight if I leave." He countered, still trying desperately to hide how much he wanted to stay.

"You've done so much for me today, I'm so lucky that you were there when this..." She gestured to her head where there were three narrow lines of stitches then continues, "Happened."

"What does that mean? Do you want me here tonight?

"Of course I want you here, but it'd be asking too much. I don't need someone here tonight, I'll be fine." Her pride wouldn't allow her to acknowledge how much she wanted him to stay.

"You will never be able to ask for too much. I want to, and what if something happens? I can't afford to not be here." He was literally begging now, trying to prove his case.

"Nothing will happen and anyways you have to go to school tomorrow. Go home and go to sleep." She cringed at how harsh her words sounded.

"I'm planning on sleeping but not at home. Right here, beside you," He put himself out there with that one and she noticed it. She stopped arguing for him to go home, silently cheering that he stood up to her, giving them both what they wanted.

"That can't be comfortable." She said that but her spirit wasn't in it and he noticed that too. An arrogant smile started to form at the corner of his mouth.

"It doesn't matter. I'm beside you and that's all I want. Now stop arguing and go to sleep, you've had an exciting day." He rubbed her hand, trying to calming her down. She put her head back on her pillow and her breathing started to slow.

Before she fell asleep, she murmured softly to Jace, "Thank you for staying, it means a lot to me." With that she fell asleep, her hand relaxing in his. He continued to stoke her hand and leaned back in his chair suddenly realizing how uncomfortable it was but she wanted him there so he wouldn't disappoint. Eventually he fell asleep as he thought about her and how she had almost kissed him. Maybe she did like him after all.

At around two in the morning Jace woke up to notice that Clary was having a troubled sleep. She was sweating and whispering something too quick for him to understand. Her hand tightened around his to the point where it hurt but he ignored it because Clary was scared. He leaned forward to hear what she was saying.

"No, no, don't hurt me please, I didn't do anything wrong. Go away! Jace, Jace where are you? I need you. I need my angel."

He leaned to her ear and whispered, "I'm right here. Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

He continued to whisper into her ear and she slowly calmed down. She was still whispering for someone to stop hurting her and for Jace to save her. It made his heart swell at the thought that she wanted him to save her but it pained him to think that someone was hurting her and that he wasn't there to help her.

All of a sudden it got worse. With her free hand she started protecting her face, defending herself against her invisible attacker. The sleeve of her hospital gown fell down, revealing her bruised forearm. Jace stared at it, stunned, and then silently lifted the sleeve of the hand he was holding which showed the same horrifying sight. In his gut, he knew that if he looked at her stomach and back, they would have their own share of bruises.

He sat there silently, thinking about what he just saw, then continued to whisper that it was all right into her ear. Finally she calmed down once again. Jace was so stunned about the bruises that he didn't notice that she was woken up.

She looked at his face which was still beside her ear, still whispering that he would save her. She smiled, and then saw his face. It looked like he was sad and confused.

"I'm sorry that you had to hear that. The dream comes every night now. I thought that maybe if I was near you it wouldn't happen but I guess that I was wrong." She looked down sheepishly, as if she did something wrong, and then noticed that her sleeves were up, showing her bruises. Showing her secret. She lightly gasped.

"Get out. Now." Her voice was hard and demanding, one that no one wanted to argue with.

"Why didn't you tell me? Talk to me about it, I can help you." Jace begged.

"You don't save me in the dreams, therefore you can't help in real life when everything is so much worse. Please, just leave." She saw the hurt in his eyes but she looked away. This wasn't the way it was meant to be, no one was supposed to know about her father. Wait, she thought. He doesn't know about my father, just that she had a whole bunch of bruises.

"Clary, I…" Jace's voice trailed off, he didn't know what to say.

"Leave." She had raised her voice now, further emphasizing her opinion. Clary never raised her voice. Ever. Jace knew that she wouldn't change her mind now, even if she wanted to.

He turned around and left, but not before saying, "I trusted you but I guess that that feeling isn't mutual." With that he left, letting the door shut harshly behind him.

She felt the pain of not being beside him instantly start when he left the room. She and wanted him back but knew that after what had just happened it was impossible. She watched as he left and started to cry. She noticed this pain of him leaving was even more intense than that of her fathers' beatings but she just kept on crying until she had no tears left and she had fallen asleep.

Jace left the room, frustrated that she wouldn't tell him what was going on. He stopped outside of her door and collapsed, his knees not working. He sat there, thinking about all that had happened when all of a sudden he heard a muffled cry come from the room he had just exited. She's crying, he thought. Did she regret it? His mind was in hyper drive thinking of all the possibilities. Maybe she wanted him to come back?

He was about to get up and return to her room when he heard her irregular heavy breathing come less and less frequently. Then, it returned to its normal pattern. She was asleep. No point in waking her up now, he thought. She would only get mad at him again which he obviously didn't want happening. He got up and left the hospital, wondering how on earth he would get home.

**Thanks for reading!! Make sure to review and offer any suggestions for the future, i will gladly add them if i see them appropriate :)!**


	7. Chapter 7 Consequences

**Hey!! sorry that it's been so long since i've updated, but i have the next chapter pretty much ready, so i think that it might come up around this time next week..? Maybe if my betas were a bit faster.... jk jk ;), i love you two, youre actually awesome. without you id never get anything done.**

**i never realized that having beta readers actually made you want to write faster so that they'd always have something to correct, lol**

**Disclaimer: Wish i was Cassandra Claire.... but really arent :/**

**Oh and btw im replying to all reviews just to show how much they're appreciated!!**

Chapter 7 – Consequences

When Clary woke up she looked over to her right side, expecting to see Jace sleeping there. When she noticed that he wasn't she was momentarily confused but then remembered the horrifying scene from the night before.

"I should have told him everything," she whispered to herself, cursing under her breath as she sat up. She placed her head in her hands and groaned. The look on his face when he had told her that she didn't trust him scarred her, burned into the back of her eyelids. The downcast eyes and hurt features looked as if she had slapped him or stabbed him in the heart. If he would've reacted badly if she told him that she was being hurt was nothing compared to her not trusting him when the truth had practically been exposed.

She sighed knowing she had blown it. She had a perfect chance to tell him everything, to confide in him and let him help her but then she ruined it. She ruined her the chance that could have changed her life.

She lay in bed, ignoring the food that the doctors had brought her and stared at the ceiling. Food reminded her of Jace because it was something that she needed to survive just like she needed Jace to survive. He was her angel and without him she was lost, broken.

She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take her once more so that she wouldn't have to think about Jace.

The next thing that she knew she was being rudely woken up by her father. He was shaking her aggressively, causing her bruised body to ache. The look in his eyes was obviously masked so that the doctors wouldn't know that he was secretly fuming. No one could know that he hurt her so he had to keep his anger a secret. He remembered Luke, the stupid farm boy from down the street, and shook his head. He had disciplined his mind long ago to forget about that but the barrier he had built was beginning to crumble more and more with each passing day.

She looked up at him with those emerald green eyes. They were the same color green as her mother's eyes which made him even angrier. Jocelyn had left him. She was a stupid w**** who left him and whenever he looked at Clary that's all that he saw.

Clary got up timidly, her legs somewhat weak from not being used since changing. She stretched a bit and then joined her father while being careful not to meet his piercing eyes. Eyes were like the portal into the soul and all she saw was black emptiness, almost as if there was nothing left of him. She wondered what had made him this way but he was so angry all the time she doubted that there was a reason. Maybe he was like this all along. Then why would her mother fall in love with him in the first place? She closed her eyes and shook her head knowing that she was in no condition to think about this.

She was broken out of her thoughts by her father, obviously wanting to get her home as fast as possible to avoid the probing eyes of the hospital staff.

"How could you have done this, gotten yourself hurt? It was irresponsible. Come with me." Her father put his arm over her shoulders, almost in an act of compassion. But he wasn't capable of kindness or any caring emotion. He squeezed her shoulders too hard and quickly pulled her along the long hallways of the hospital. She hoped that someone would come and tell him to let her go but to the onlookers his actions were only seemed like a loving father worrying about his daughter.

"It wasn't my fault," she argued but she knew that it was useless. Once her father had his mind set on some things and nothing could change it.

"Shut up," he hissed silently. So quietly that she wasn't even sure that she heard it but she knew that she did because her father always had to have the last word.

He pulled her to his car, ignoring her struggles and pushed her into the backseat before entering the driver's seat. The car ride home was quiet. Too quiet. He should have been yelling at her, asking how she hurt herself or something but he didn't. He just drove like a robot.

They drove for the few minutes in silence until he parked the car, already at the house. He left the car, not waiting for Clary. She entered the house and realized why he didn't say anything while they were in the car. He wasn't just angry, he was seething. She had never seen anyone that mad.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to come home from the bar late at night, hoping for a little release, then finding a note on your door that says that your daughter fell and has to stay overnight at the hospital?" He screamed in her face and she winced.

Clary looked down because she was not expected to answer.

"B****! Answer me when I talk to you!" He brought his hand across her face with enough force to push her into the wall. She felt her lip slit open at the contact, a horrible pain spreading throughout her face. She gasped at the sudden change in the atmosphere.

He quickly followed with a swift blow to her stomach, making her fall to her knees. It felt as if her stomach had been driven over by a car, making her want to puke. She slowly looked up at him and silently begging him to stop with her eyes. She couldn't talk, whether it was from the swell of emotions or that his initial blow had caused her lip to swell it to three times its normal size, she did not know.

When she met his eyes, she knew that he wouldn't stop. He would never stop. His eyes were full of the rage that she was so used to seeing but instead of the slightly tipsy motions, he had sharp, fast blows that hurt even more.

"That look," he said _look_ as if it were a profanity, "Is the same look that your mother always gave me. Did you know that you look like her? You two are almost identical. It's disgusting." He sneered and closed his eyes for a second, imagining that it was Jocelyn with him instead of Clary so that he could finally make her pay for being a traitor.

She looked away and closed her eyes, knowing what was coming next. It felt as if her nose had exploded but it had only broken. She cried out as thick, warm blood started to flow down her face. The pain was incredibly tense, something she had never felt before. Not even when she told Jace to leave. She felt the sharp toes of his shoes connect with her ribs as he kicked her again and again, forcing her to the ground. She collapsed into the fetal position on the floor, trying in vain to protect herself. Every one of his blows hit either a pre-existing bruise or a newly forming one, making her entire body seems like it was on fire. The pain was excruciating. Normally he stopped after a few minutes of beating her but now he just kept on going as if this time he would take it all the way.

She tried to imagine Jace coming to save her like last time. It worked at first but then the angel just stopped in his tracks. Clary's face twisted in confusion.

"I can't do this, you're right. If I can't help you in your dreams then I am useless here." The angel spoke softly. He was repeating what she had said the night before and that made her heart hurt. Mumbling through her inflamed lips, she whispered his name repeatedly.

"Jace… Jace… Jace…" Then something else came to mind, something that she had pushed away for so long but now she understood. "I love you." She whispered it quietly, too quiet for her dad to hear. She felt her consciousness slowly fading away but it wasn't like the last time. She tried to look into Jace's eyes but she couldn't see anything. Her eyes twisted shut in agony as she wished he would forgive her.

Talking about Jace.

He left the hospital and definitely couldn't get a ride home. Calling Alec at this time would be worst than admitting that Clary had kicked him out of her room. He actually looked forward to the long walk through the peaceful and beautiful streets of Idris. He needed to think about what had happened.

Was he stupid? There was something he was missing but he just couldn't piece it together. He was always bad at puzzles and useless at getting hints. He needed someone to spell it out for him clearly nearly every time. He was always smart at school, he knew his stuff. He was book smart but once he gets out in the real world, where everything counts so much more, it's almost as if he is truly incompetent.

He finally made it home, glad to be somewhere familiar. He crept inside and quietly made it to his bed, hoping that no one noticed him. Once comfortable in his warm bed, he knew at once that he wouldn't find sleep. His eyes refused to shut and all he knew was that he needed to help Clary. He needed her. He finally decided that he would go to her house after school the next day. Hopefully by then she would be home and he could express his feelings towards her, letting her know everything. He wished that she'd trust him but maybe that's too much to ask for right now. All he wanted was forgiveness.

He fell asleep with that thought drifting across his mind.

All day at school he was side tracked and everyone noticed it. Even Aline stayed back and didn't bother him, completely unsure how to react to his sudden mind block. He was thinking about Clary and what he would say to make her forgive him but no one knew that. In math class he looked at her empty chair and he even wrote out what he'd say. He scribbled parts out and changed others, trying to make it absolutely perfect but for some reason it was so hard.

The last hour of the day went agonizingly slow. It felt as if the clock was mocking him by purposely slowing down time. He would never see Clary, never make it up to her. He reread the paper again that held the words he would say to her. The paper was crumpled from always being shoved in his pocket when a teacher came around. He smoothed it out with love because it was everything to him. Clary was everything to him. He was stuck on one of the sentences where he couldn't decide between calling her gorgeous or beautiful. _What's_ the difference? His rational conscious thought but the other part, the larger part which was insistent on making everything perfect, was stumped.

Those two words may seem the exact same but they were analyzed differently to girls. Jace didn't understand it himself but he knew that you had to know the girl to understand what to call her.

But then again, Clary was not like any other girl he had ever known; she was unique in her own way. He loved that about her. Wait, did he just say that he loved her? He was so confused with his feelings, so many new emotions filled his body. He just wanted to get through the day; he just wanted Clary to be with him. When he heard her voice crack when she was telling him to leave he knew that he had blown it. What did he do though? He sighed and put his head on his desk, daring a glance at the clock.

_Shit, thirty minutes left_. The teacher was at the front of the class, giving a lecture that Jace had zoned out of. Couldn't the teacher just let them out early? He looked at the board to read it over in a desperate measure to waste time. He pretended to take notes but he was really doodling on his paper. Everything he drew ended up reminding him of Clary, somehow she was everything around him. Everywhere he looked he saw those beautiful emerald green eyes and delicate face.

_Ten minutes_. Since when did the second hand go around so slowly? He was pretty sure that someone had played a practical joke on him because ten minutes seemed to take forever. He took out his phone and checked the time to make sure that what the clock said was right and, unfortunately, it was.

"Mr. Wayland," The teacher called from the front of the room, eyeing Jace's cell. "If you don't mind can you put that away? You know that it's against school rules to have cell phones in class." The teacher gave him a stern look before returning to the board and wrapping up the lecture. He was lucky that he was caught by this teacher; he was much more tolerant than everyone else.

_Five minutes_. He put away his phone and started packing up his books. Everyone else had started to pack as well but no one had the same level of urgency as Jace. He reached to his jeans to get the ruffled page from his pocket and noticed that it wasn't there. _No!_ _Where was it,_ he thought frantically. He checked all of his pockets but it was nowhere to be found.

He looked up in front of him to see Aline holding a crumpled piece of paper in her delicate hands. She was reading it with a look of absolute astonishment on her face. She slowly looked up to Jace and their eyes met. Tears started to well up in her eyes while Jace's were filled with shock. The bell echoed in the room and she dropped the paper before practically running out of class with her bag slung over her shoulder.

Jace ran hurriedly after her but not before picking up the paper and noticing that it was his letter to Clary. He stuffed it back in his pocket and forgot about Aline and Clary replaced her in his mind. He needed to get to her. He grabbed his bag and was the first to get to Alec's van and waited there impatiently until the other two arrived, laughing about something that had happened in class. They all got in the car and noticed Jace's attitude had not changed throughout the day. They all got in the car and drove home in silence.

_Finally_, he thought as he walked up to Clary's front door. It was a dark wood and worn, as if it had been there for a long time. He raised his hand and knocked three times.

Talking about Clary.

Clary lay on the ground with a terrible pain ripping through her entire body. The pain was almost too much to bear and she felt her consciousness fading slowly away. Her petite nose had stopped bleeding but she felt that it would be somewhat crooked for the rest of her life. Somehow she had managed to get a large scratch on her back which would definitely scar but she was way past minding.

She couldn't live with herself anymore, not after her behavior with Jace. He hated her now, which was certain. He had definitely shown it in his actions last night. She shut her eyes tighter to try and block the memory but it didn't work.

Her father brought his foot down against her protesting side, winding Clary. She had already thrown up once and dry heaved twice now that there was nothing to expel. His merciless foot hit her shin, striking the bone. The pain vibrated through her entire body which caused her to gasp in pain, the tears that had been free falling for what seems like forever now increased in pace.

Her attacker wound up again, aiming at the soft flesh on her stomach when there was a knock on the door. The caller knocked three times, and her father picked her broken body up and pushed her into the bathroom where she wouldn't be seen. He straightened his shirt while looking for any blood residue. Finding none he opened the door to see a young man with golden hair.

"May I help you?" His voice became low and grumpy. He was interrupted for a teenager going door to door. What was he selling? Maybe I will give him the benefit of the doubt and not slam the door on his face.

"Hello sir, I'm Jace. I was wondering if Clary was back from the hospital." He looked around nervous as if hoping that she'd come down the stairs and save him from having to talk to her father.

Clary's father was startled at his daughter's visitor. Of course he'd come, this is the boy that had been with her when she had fallen, it would be rude not to check up on her after the fact. "She's busy," he said bluntly, closing the door on his face.

Jace put out a foot, keeping it open. "No, sir. It's urgent. I need to talk to her."

"Well I'm sorry, but she isn't here."

"Where is she?"

"Jace!" The voice was weak but it was obviously Clary's.

Her father was muttering a string of profanities under his breath. Of course she'd hear and try to get him to see her. The boys' eyes immediately lit up, excited that she was there. It reminded him of something, but he wasn't sure what.

"Clary!" He called back, a smile spreading across his face. He looked relieved that she was there. What did Clarissa mean to this teenage boy?

"She's not allowed to go out." Clary's father's voice was stern, not one to be messed with. Jace took a step back, a little frightened by the older man's tone.

Clary's father took advantage of the situation and slammed the door on the boy. He locked the door, unsure how far the boy would go to see his daughter. She was in no state for anyone to see her, especially this boy that seemed attached to her. Normally people fled at his voice, but there was something that kept this boy coming.

A tiny voice in the back of his head kept on saying _love_, but there's no such thing as love. If there was then Jocelyn would still be with him. No, His rational mind screamed, there's no point to go back to that. What was done is done and now there's a new problem.

"Clary!" A muffled cry could be heard from behind the wooden door. Jace hit the door in frustration because he was unable to get to Clary.

"She doesn't want you! She never wants to see you again. Leave and never come back!" Clary heard her father laugh as he called out those terrible lies.

She tried to tell him no, that she'll always want him and she never wants him to leave but her voice failed her. She couldn't get it any louder than a whisper and that wouldn't help her at all. She felt useless, she couldn't move or in any way demonstrate to Jace how false those words were.

Her father walked into the bathroom and she was petrified for a second, would he resume with his beating? He grabbed her arm roughly and caused a sudden wave of pain that caused her to forget about Jace. He pulled her up onto her feet but her legs weren't ready so she fell again.

She heard him mumble about how incompetent she was but she didn't mind. He didn't seem in the mood to continue so she was looking forward to a night of recuperating. He picked her up bridal style and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. She wondered where this sudden act of kindness came from but didn't mind because once she saw her bed she was ready for a nap. She needed it.

The last thought that crossed her mind before she fell asleep was that Jace came back for her. She had originally thought that he would avoid her, hate her even. But he came back. He saved her from whatever her father planned to do. He was her angel.

**Maybe Jace will be even more angelic if you review...? **

**You dont have to but it'd be greatly appreciated!! :D**


	8. Chapter 8 Midnight Getaway

**Heres the chapter!!! i hope that you like it, i've had it done for a while now but i have MAJOR writers block and am having trouble on the next chapter.. agh!**

**So here this is: the next chapter will be up next wednesday at the latest, but with exams itll make it ALOT harder.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own the mortal instruments in any way.**

Chapter 8 – Midnight Getaway

As Clary slept her dreams were filled of angels. They had golden wings and perfectly sculpted faces. Everyone was looking at her affectionately as they cared for her wounds and helped her. She looked in a large gilded mirror and saw that she had her own pair of delicate golden wings open majestically behind her. The marks on her face had been replaced by perfect skin, the exact shade as it used to be.

Studying her reflection, she didn't realize that a new angel had come out of the crowd. He walked up behind her and placed a perfect hand on her shoulder. He had long pianist fingers, strong and calloused but still soft and loving. She looked at his face and wasn't surprised to see the golden curls and tawny eyes that she had memorized the first time she had seen them. She turned away from the mirror to face him and she saw his eyes take in her appearance.

"You're not hurt," the relief in his voice was apparent and he wrapped his arms around her delicate waist, holding her tight against him. "I was so worried that he had gone too far this time."

Clary brought her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "I would never leave you. I always want you with me," she whispered softly.

He brought his face close to hers and said with a low and serious voice, "Promise?"

"Cross my heart," her voice shook at their proximity and she was excited about what he might want to do.

He brought his lips down on hers gently. It was the lightest of kisses but it still made Clary conscious of every part of her body that was touching his. She melted into him, leaning against him for support. He deepened the kiss, making her ache for his touch. She wound her fingers in his hair, pulling his face closer to hers.

Ting!

The noise rang in Clary's ears and she wasn't sure what the sound was but she continued to kiss Jace. He was still helping her stay on her feet as he made her knees weak.

Ting!

She heard it again but this time it was louder. She shook her head and suddenly the noise brought her back to reality. She was in her messy bed and every part of her body ached from the day before. At least her father had the decency to wipe the blood off her face, though it was probably so that he wouldn't have to launder her sheets.

Ting!

Clary looked over to the window to realize that this was the source of the noise was in reality, not in her dreams. She stiffly got up and was forced back on her bed as she felt a wave of nausea slam her stomach causing her to double forward. She gasped at the pain in her chest; it felt as if she had broken something. She almost lay back down, succumbing to the terrible pain that had almost incapacitated her, but the noise continued.

The fifth small ting on her window brought her back to the present. She tried again to get up again, slower this time. She stiffly walked over to the window and looked out.

Out on the lawn, as if from her dream, was Jace. He was wearing dark colors but his halo of golden hair could be easily seen by her.

She tried to open her window but a sharp, shooting pain in her right arm stopped her. She looked at her shoulder to notice that it looked different than before. She couldn't move it, that was for sure, but she still tried until the searing pain stopped her again. Her other arm appeared to be uninjured despite the large bruises still forming on her forearms. Clary groaned then and, as silently as possible, tried opening the window again. It groaned in protest, the noise vibrating through the small house, making her freeze. Her ears strained to listen, making sure that her father didn't wake up. There were no sounds coming from the other room. She continued where she had left off and got the window all the way open with only some pain.

"Jace!" Clary called down to him, hoping her dad wouldn't hear. "What are you doing here?" Clary's voice was just a raspy whisper but Jace heard her perfectly clear.

"Your father wouldn't let me in earlier and I couldn't sleep. Walking always seemed to calm the nerves but I kept coming here, as if I needed to be here or something," Immediately after he said those words he looked away as if he were embarrassed.

"I don't know if I can get down" she said sadly, "I can't go out the front door, he'll catch me."

"There's a roof up there," Jace pointed above him but she didn't follow his gesture. She was staring dreamily into his eyes which were shining in the faint light. "Just get out of your window and climb onto the roof and you can climb down from there." He said it instantly, clearly showing that he had thought his plan through.

"What if I fall?" Clary glared at him, wondering if he had even thought about the risk.

"You can't fall, I'll always catch you." His words seemed literal, that he'd catch her if she fell off of the roof but she could hear another meaning in them. It seemed like he was trying to tell her something and even though she didn't know what, she still smiled. She sighed before biting her lip and starting her journey to the roof.

Clary carefully put one foot out of the window and then the other, cringing at the pain in her ribs as she moved. She quickly tested the stability of the roof beneath her. The aged wood groaned slightly at her light weight but didn't protest much more. She crawled painfully to the edge and then looked down, suddenly realizing how far one floor was. She became instantly nauseous. How in the world was she going to get down?

"It's okay Clary," Jace called up to her, trying to reassure her worried expression. "Just put your feet over the edge and lower yourself down. I'll catch you," he instructed.

She did as he said and carefully let her feet go over the boundary of her safe area. She let out a silent cry as she wiggled backwards slowly. It felt as if her ribs were on fire. She let more and more of her body off the roof and into oblivion as quiet tears formed in her eyes from the fierce pain spreading throughout her body. She was doing this for Jace, she told herself. She hung onto the roof even as the pain shot through her shoulder. She whimpered and knew that she couldn't go any further, physically not able to. She closed her eyes and told Jace, "I don't want to go."

"Trust me." His voice was but a whisper and she felt his warm hand on her calf, guiding her body to the ground.

She shut her eyes as tight as they would go and she let go of the roof. Before she knew it, she felt muscular arms catch her tightly and hold her securely. She whimpered in pain, tears welling up in her closed eyes. She tried to calm down as she kept telling herself that she was safe and she wasn't hurt. Once composed, Clary slowly opened her eyes and saw his golden ones looking back at her, making her smile. He had caught her like he promised to, like he always would, forever.

Jace smiled back at her but for a completely different reason. She trusted him. Even if she didn't want to explain her big secret, she trusted him enough to catch her. He wouldn't disappoint, Jace promised himself. He will always be there to catch her whenever she needed it.

He put her down but enveloped her hand in his to keep contact. He pulled lightly, effectively leading her away from the house. He didn't fail to notice her slight limp but felt that when the time comes she'd explain it to him. She'd explain everything to him. He looked at her and saw that her eyes were already on him, silently studying him.

"Why did you do it?" Clary's eyes were curious, looking up at him beneath her naturally long eye lashes.

"Do what?" He was actually confused, what did he do? He panicked for a second and he thought that he did something wrong.

"You came back for me today, twice, even after I reacted so badly last night." She looked down, embarrassed of her response. If only she could redo that moment, though she knew she couldn't. She'd give anything to relive that moment and tell him the truth. Maybe, just maybe, tonight she can make it up?

"I'll always come back for you." He whispered and turned to face Clary. Their eyes met and they stood there, gazing deeply at each other, cherishing the feeling of complete comprehension. Clary saw the sincerity of his words. He would never leave her behind. Jace saw pure bliss, nothing else. She was ecstatic by his serious expression. Jace would never run off on her. Clary was certain.

Clary was the first to blink and also the first to break the connection. She wanted to get away from the house, if even for a few hours. He continued to guide her to the small forest near their houses. It wasn't much but it was bigger than any of the parks in New York Clary had seen growing up. He led her into the shade of the tall trees and everything seemed to be darker but not frighteningly so. Having Jace beside her calmed her down. She felt as if nothing could hurt her when she was with him.

Jace led her father into the forest, far enough that they couldn't be seen outside of it. He walked with an air around him that proved that he knew where he was going. Touching an old birch tree he paused, turning back to look at Clary.

"Close your eyes." He whispered with excitement, wanting to show her something.

"Where are we?" She ignored his command. She knew that he wouldn't answer but it was worth a try anyway.

"Be patient, just close your eyes and come with me. You know you want to." His arrogant smile had once again resumed its place on his face. Clary wasn't sure if she was happy or not about its return. On one hand, he had seemed exactly like her angel without it but then he wouldn't be her Jace if he wasn't overconfident.

"And what if I don't?" She tried to sound tough and stand up to him. She had to teach him that she wasn't one to be pushed around, at least, not by him. He took a step closer so that they were almost touching. She closed her eyes with a sigh, not trying to be difficult.

"You know that that's not an option, Clarissa." She felt his face hover near her ear, his hot breath washing over her face. It caused goose bumps all over her skin and made her shiver. "You couldn't leave even if you tried." He breathed out the words and Clary restrained a giggle.

She knew he was right but didn't want to show it. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him as she felt the gentle tug of his hand in hers. She followed him carefully and had her complete focus on his soft hand as he guided her through the sparse foliage.

He came to a stop but Clary didn't want to open her eyes. He'd tell her when to, right? His hand was still intertwined with hers so he hadn't left, he just stood there quietly, not moving. She wished that she could see what he was looking at but she obediently kept her eyes shut.

"You look ridiculous, standing there covering your eyes." His voice broke the silence that had ensued between them. She was aghast. Ridiculous! He made her close her eyes and now he's making fun of her. If this is his idea of funny then she'd be furious. She felt the anger build up inside her.

"You told me to though…" She almost growled, still trying to hide her anger but it was impossible to hold that intense feeling in her tiny body.

"Yes, but now we are here and I was much enjoying the sight." Clary's eyes were still closed but she could imagine the smile grow across his face. "Open your eyes," he commanded lightly but there was a certain anticipation mixed in with it that made Clary unsure of what she would see. What could he be so nervous about showing her?

"What will I see when I do?" Clary asked suspiciously.

"A sexy golden Jace without any clothes," He spoke in a flat voice making Clary unable to discern whether he was joking or not.

"What?!" Her eyes jumped open for a split second, only to see that Jace stood there fully clothed. She shot him a look of annoyance and harshly demanded, "Why did you say that?"

"I thought that that was what would get you to open your eyes the fastest," he chuckled at her expression, "I guess that I was right." He winked at her then pointed a little farther into the woods. "Voila!"

She followed his gesture, uncertain of what she would see. Clary squinted and finally, through the thin plants, an old club house could be seen. It was approximately six feet tall and made out of recycled wood. It was badly painted different shades greens and browns as if it was supposed camouflage in with the forest.

Jace took Clary's hand and directed her towards it, pulling her to the misshapen door, where the words ALEC AND JACE were barely visible after fading over the years.

Clary slowly walked inside to notice that it was very small, barely 5 by 5. A few blankets could be seen in one of the corners as well as a make shift shelving unit. It smelt faintly of mildew but she didn't mind. It reminded her of when she was five and she had asked her mother if she could have a tree fort but her mom had to decline because they lived in the city.

"_If one day we live in the country one day, I'll build you one. I promise."Her kind and innocent mother had said._

"_You grew up in Idris, right mommy?" She remembered her mother's kind face turn hard as a serious expression washed over it._

"_Yes, in Idris, but that isn't a nice place to live in. There are bad people there. That's why I came to New Yor," Clary remembered her mother look into this air for a brief hesitation before returning to her daughter to ask, "Do you want some ice cream?"_

The flashback faded and she was back in the cabin with Jace. He mother always offered ice cream whenever they were talking about something she wanted to avoid. Now she knew what her mother had meant by bad people. Clary bit back a tear at the memory of her mother.

"It's amazing," she finally managed to breathe out.

"Yeah, Alec and I made it when we were 6. Robert helped a bit with it, making sure that we didn't hurt ourselves and that. Alec doesn't come out here anymore; he has allergies to the mold. There's not a lot of mold here but if he just smells it then he starts going off sneezing. I come out here when I want to be alone to think, when I don't feel like walking." He smiled at her, checking if she remembered what he had said earlier about walking calming down his nerves.

"It's the perfect getaway," Clary said, smiling. She ran her hand across the wall, feeling the texture of the rough wood beneath her fingers.

"Yeah, that's what I think of the place. I've had a lot of memories here; it's part of my past."

"I miss my past," Clary said and after a hesitation she continued, "It was a lot simpler than the present." Her voice cracked when she thought about her previous life in New York. It seemed perfect, she had had nothing to worry about. Now barely anything made sense. Her mother's death and her father's beatings. Why did it all happen?

It was as if her entire world had been flipped upside-down. Just being with Hace had been helping but it was still terrible unstable like a lie. You can push it down for so long but one day it comes bubbling back. In this case it wasn't a lie, it was her pain.

She didn't feel the tears fall down her face but she felt Jace come close to her and wrap his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, letting the tears stain his shirt but Jace didn't mind. He knew that she was in so much emotional pain and he wanted to her to let it all out. He wanted to help her be happier, to see that even with this change there are good things that can happen.

"Shush, it's okay. I know that it's difficult for you but I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." He put his hand on the back of her head, knotting his fingers into her fiery hair while his other hand rubbed small, comforting circles on the small of her back.

Her crying subsided as she rested her head on his chest. He was breathing deeply and she could hear his heart beating slowly and evenly.

Clary looked up at him and their eyes met. She stared deeply into his golden eyes while he was mesmerized by her emerald ones. He tilted her head more and leaned down, their lips almost touching.

"I think that you should always make the best of your situations." His hot breath made her skin tingle where it touched. He didn't give her a chance to respond because before she knew it he had pressed his lips against hers.

Jace kissed her like she was incredibly fragile, like she would shatter into a million pieces if he pressed too hard. He kissed her lightly, his lips dancing over hers not nearly satisfying the desire building up inside Clary. She put tangled her fingers into his soft hair, pulling his face farther towards hers. She needed him and it was a desire she could not control. She felt her knees weaken and she felt his arms wrap around her, supporting her body. Kissing Jace in real life was a hundred times better than kissing him in her dreams, she decided. In real life she felt a million new sensations which she would never have imagined her body possible of feeling.

The need to breathe eventually surpassed the need to be together and they broke off the kiss. They stood there, arms wrapped around each other and their foreheads touching while catching their breath.

Jace ended the contact to sit down on a blanket laid out on the floor, motioning for Clary to follow him. She sat down with him and rested her head on his shoulder, where they both fell to sleep.

Jace woke up before dawn and silently cursed himself for not waking up sooner. They had school in a few hours and they would both be exhausted. He gently picked Clary up and carried her out of the forest. She had woken up but was still too dazed to move quickly by herself. He carried her to her house and realized that he'd been a fool. He'd been so focused on getting her to him he hadn't thought of a way to get her back to her room.

He quickly looked around he saw a white lawn chair. He grabbed it and stood on it, all the while still carrying Clary. He gave her a boost, trying to get her onto the roof but when he grabbed her waist she let out a whimper and he remembered her bruises.

"Jace, I…" Clary began to explain but was cut off by Jace's desperate voice.

"There's no time. You will have to explain it to me later. You need to get to sleep and I fear that this will be a very long story."

Clary only nodded but she was greatly relieved that he was being reasonable.

He carefully made a step with his intertwined fingers and let her place her foot on it to climb up onto the roof. When she stepped on them he helped her onto the roof once again. She got up there fairly quietly and he was personally proud of how easy they made it seem, her being so light and him being so athletic. Once on the roof Clary looked back once and smiled before returning into her bedroom, leaving Jace standing outside. He returned to his house grinning like he won the lottery the whole way but it wasn't the lottery that he had won. It was something much better.

Clary's heart.

The night had turned out better than he could've ever imagined.

**Awwe, Jace 3 Clary ::D:D:D**

**they're definitely the best couple everrrr**

**review for more j/c! :D**


	9. Chapter 9 B Please

**Omg, okay. I am a terrible procrastinator. Well, after exams were done i did nothing, did nothing, and then wabaaaam today i hung out with friends then went out for dinner and all of a sudden its 6 30 and i still have to write half of a chapter !! :O!**

**But i did it. Around 1646 words in 3 hours. Shoot me now. This chapter is super long, didn't get that much review time. Hope that you like it and can you please point out any major spelling mistakes so that i can fix it? Thanks ! :)**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing**

Chapter 9 – B**** Please

"Clary, if you don't get your ass out of bed then you'll be late for school!" Her father yelled, banging angrily on the door. Clary, scared by her father's harsh voice, automatically jumped out of bed. Her heart was racing as she tried to calm down. He was just trying to wake her up, nothing more. Then the pain in her body caught up to her motions, making her grimace.

She grabbed the clothes that she would wear that day. She decided on comfortable rather than fashionable, Jace had seen her in her pajamas so he wouldn't mind. She remembered her night with him and felt blush creep up to her cheeks. She remembered the softness of his lips on hers and how secure she felt with her head resting on his shoulder. She sighed, wishing that she could still be out in his cabin, safe in his warm arms.

She shuffled her feet to the bathroom in an attempt to not make any sudden movements which cause the pain to increase more. Once there, she discarded her bed clothes and looked at her body in the mirror. It was terrible. She could barely find parts of her torso that were not covered in bruises or hurting. Her ribs were the worst. They were covered in blues, yellows, greens and browns.

Clary winced at the sight of her body and covered it up with her favorite sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt. She studied her reflection and put make-up on her face where the discoloration around her nose where it had been hit and faint blemish on her cheek could still be seen. She didn't think that she was pretty, far from it. She had unruly curls that could never be tamed and was too small to be gorgeous. To top it off, she wasn't very well endowed so she looked younger than her age.

She left the bathroom and walked down the stairs to the kitchen where her father was eating breakfast. The atmosphere got immediately thick as she ignored his gaze. Clary opened the fridge and grabbed the first thing she saw. Taking it, she picked up her school bag and started her walk to school.

She walked by the Lightwood's house and silently wished that they would come out to go to school and offer her a ride. Unfortunately, the pristine white door stayed shut and she did not see Jace's angelic face come and welcome her. Fighting the frown that was threatening to form, she pushed her feet onwards. She was a strong individual; she didn't need Jace with her every second of everyday, no matter how much she wanted it.

She stood before the front doors of Idris High, wondering why she was here. Her body ached from her father's beating and she could use her head injury as an excuse to stay home. She closed her eyes and took a breath, opening the door and entering the school.

She immediately ran into someone. It wasn't hard, there were people running in every direction and with her eyes closed a collision was inevitable. The person was probably double her size and had been coming from her right at an unbelievable speed for school hallways. She was thrown off balance and landed with a gasp on her back. Her body felt as if it was on fire. Her attacker had elbowed her in the ribs and the pain had spread throughout her nerves.

She laid her head down, ignoring the stares and tried to dispel the pain with her deep breathing. It seemed like every time she took a deep breath a new flash of pain attacked her chest, forcing her to take short, quick breaths. Her heart still raced a thousand beats per minute and her eyes were clenched shut.

"Hey everyone! Look at Clary, she's so clumsy!" She heard someone laughing and opened her eye a crack to see who it was. She was rewarded with the sight of Aline pointing at her form sprawled on the floor, her other hand covering her mouth while she laughed. Everyone in the "popular kids" circle turned their heads to see what had caught Aline's attention.

They all saw Clary positioned awkwardly on the floor and none of them made an effort to help her up. Their laughs and giggles joined Aline's and eventually a ring of people had formed around her helpless body. She felt every set of eyes pierce into her, making her feel naked and uncovered. She couldn't catch her breath and she was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

Then she felt muscular arms begin to help her up and a masculine voice saying, "It's okay Clary, I'm here now."

Talking about Jace.

The alarm clock went off beside Jace's bed way too early, waking him out of his deep sleep. He groaned and looked at the time, 7:00. He put his head on his pillow and stared at the ceiling. The previous night came flashing back at him, with the final picture of Clary sleeping in his arms burning into his eyelids. He smiled as he forced himself out of bed and to the shower, thinking of their kiss. It was perfect.

The entire Lightwood household was running late. Isabelle's make up wasn't perfect, Alec couldn't find his gym shorts for school and Jace was dozing off every few minutes from his lack of sleep. By the time they had left, it was 10 minutes later than usual. They wouldn't be late, but they wouldn't get the time to hang out with their group as usual.

People were still standing around as they entered the parking lot. Jace grabbed his bag by the strap and left the car before his siblings. He walked in a quick pace to the doors, eager to see Clary. His hand pushed open the front door and he was welcomed by a crowd of people standing tightly together look at something.

He was making his way through the crowd when he heard Aline's high pitch voice ring through the crowd, "Hey everyone! Look at Clary, she's so clumsy!"

Clary. Her name caused his heart to melt but he knew that something was wrong. Aline was making fun of her. Oh shit, where's Clary? He thought. He followed where everyone was looking and saw her mess of red curls. She was lying on the ground, her books spread out around her.

Pushing people aside, Jace finally broke through the crowd of people and was beside Clary. Her eyes were shut tightly and her face had reddened from embarrassment. He knelt beside her and gently wrapped his arms around her, trying to get her up.

He bent his head close to her ear and whispered, "It's okay Clary, I'm here now."

He got her to her feet and their eyes met. Hers were watering and he pulled her close to his chest, his arms hugging her close. He looked around until he saw Aline which wasn't very hard because her outfit was very attention seeking. She was wearing neon green short shorts and a flimsy white tank top with neon paint splattered on it. Jace momentarily thought about how she managed to fit that into the dress code.

"Hey Aline," Jace called, trying to keep the malice out of his voice, "Don't you have something better to do than pick on people that are better than you? Like work corners or something?"

Aline shot him a look before turning away, brushing off his words with a flick of her hair.

Jace led Clary to their lockers, where there were less people. He pulled away from her for a minute to look into her eyes but once she had lost connection with his body the tears started to flow. She immediately missed the security and peacefulness that came with him embrace.

He put her head on his shoulder again and let her cry. He whispered, "Shush, it'll be okay. Aline's just a b****, you got that? She's just jealous of you. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

Clary's irregular breathing calmed down and her heart rate lowered. The tears stopped falling down her face as she looked up at her savior. She looked at his golden eyes and smiled. Jace brushed his finger across her face to wipe away a stray tear.

"Come on, let's go get Isabelle. I swear she has fairy dust in her purse that will cover up everything." Jace said as he helped her find Isabelle. They found her in an argument with Aline.

"Why didn't you help her up?" Isabelle's voice yelled. It wasn't hard to figure out what she was talking about.

"And ruin the perfect moment to make fun of a klutz? No thank you, she fell, she deserved it." Aline's voice was louder than Isabelle's but harder to understand because it was so high pitch.

"How did she deserve it? She was pretty much trampled by someone double her size, and no one has the decency to help her up? No one tries to see if she's okay?"

"She was fine, just embarrassed because she tripped and everyone saw."

"She didn't trip, she was hit! I know that you're stupid Aline but you should know the difference between the two. You still should have helped her up instead of laughing like an effing hyena hurting everyone's ears!"

"You shouldn't be talking Isabelle. People love my laugh and your outfit is hurting their eyes. Like, that shirt was definitely last season."

"You're horrible. I can't believe that I ever called you my friend." Isabelle looked up from Aline. "Any of you, you're all as bad as her. None of you helped her. None." With that she turned away towards Clary.

"You didn't have to do that." Clary said in a small voice but Jace and Isabelle heard her perfectly.

"Yes I did, that b**** needed to be taught a lesson. She had no right laughing at you, none."

"Isabelle," Jace distracted the two girls, "Can you make it so that it doesn't look like she was crying? She's already had a tough day."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do." Isabelle said as she slung her arm over Clary's shoulders but before they left Jace she added, "Oh, and Jace, I don't think that it'd be smart for you to hang out with Clary too much today. Aline's already in a jealous fit, we don't want to fuel it."

Jace's expression was hard but his eyes showed his inner pain at the thought of not being with Clary.

"Don't worry Jace, I'll take care of her." Isabelle said with a wink, and continued to bring Clary to the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom Isabelle got right down to business because there wasn't that much time left before the bell would ring. As Isabelle returned Clary's face to normal color, Maia came storming through the girl's bathroom door.

"I can't believe that insufferable B**CH! I can't stand her anymore, what did we see in her in the first place?"

"She was young and naive then. She hadn't fully discovered make-up, clothes or boys then. I liked her a lot then." Isabelle said with a sigh as she thought about her friend. She remembered Aline's first day of school halfway through the first semester of grade 9. She was so timid and shy, what had happened to her?

Clary looked down; she didn't like the new picture of Aline that was forming in her head. She couldn't picture the all too revealing Aline from math class, but now a more innocent, younger one. She had no make-up and a rounder face. She shook the mental image from her head and Isabelle groaned in response.

Maia looked at Clary and asked, "Are you all right? That must've hurt, being hit by that kid and all."

"It was okay, it's just that…" Clary's voice caught in her throat. She wanted to tell them about the bruises, about her father, but something held her back. The little voice in the back of her head still nagged at her, what if they thought that she was weak? She took a safer route, "It's just that I hurt my ribs the other day, so the person knocked the wind out of me."

Isabelle and Maia nodded, accepting her answer. They could tell that she was hiding something, but they didn't want to push her too hard. She had finally started accepting people into her life and they didn't want her to back out now.

"What time is it?" Clary asked, she'd skipped yesterday because of her concussion so it'd be bad for her to be late today.

Maia pulled out her phone, "Three minutes to the bell, you almost done Iz?"

"Yeah, just a little bit here…" Isabelle wiped some foundation on Clary's cheek bone. She was careful, looking at Clary's face, she definitely didn't want Clary to burst out like she did last time. Isabelle saw Clary flinch as she applied a bit more pressure to the top of the bone, but besides that there was no evidence of what had happened on Wednesday.

"There we go, perfect." Isabelle smiled as she showed Clary her reflection. When she saw it, Clary's jaw practically dropped to the floor.

"The exact same as it was before, no one should tell the difference." Isabelle was practically beaming as she explained how hard it was to get the color just right because Clary was paler than her but Clary had tuned her out. How could Isabelle think that the person looking back at her in the mirror looked like her?

"Isabelle… I… me… pretty…" Clary couldn't put the words together. She looked amazing, she never thought that she could look like this in her wildest imagination.

"Yes, you look gorgeous. Thank you but we really have to hurry up. We need to get to class!" Isabelle pushed her make-up into her bag.

"I have all my stuff already so I'll go with Clary to open her locker," Maia told Isabelle as she put her arm through Clary's and directed her towards her locker. They talked about Aline as they went to Clary's locker and got her stuff. The warning bell had already rung so they hurriedly grabbed her text books and walked as fast as they could without jogging. They got into the class right as the bell had rung.

Sighing, the two girls got to their spots and pulled out their texts and emerged themselves into the history. She didn't think that the hour and twenty minutes had gone by when the bell rang to get to second period.

In math, she took her usual seat beside Jace but he didn't look at her. Confused she sat there, all period, looking at him from the corner of her eye. Why was he acting so stiff and non responsive? Did he regret what they did last night?

Aline sat at her spot and looked ecstatic. She was enjoying the sight of Clary confused and Jace ignoring her. She looked at the clock. He had been ignoring Clary for an hour! The smile on her face grew as she thought about her victory. He didn't want Clary, he'd come running back to her. Aline stopped looking behind her, there was ten minutes left. Ten minutes until lunch where she could spend the entire time with Jace.

Clary sat in her spot and stared at the board not fully understanding what the teacher was saying. She had zoned out at the beginning of class when it was apparent that Jace wasn't going to talk to her. She looked at the clock, ten minutes left. Only ten minutes and this would be over, he could leave her and not have to be so obviously ignoring her.

Clary felt a small tap on her left hand which was hanging at her side. She felt a rough hand push a small piece of crumpled papers into hers. She looked down at her fist, not fully comprehending what had happened. She brought up the paper and noticed that it was a note.

_Clary, I can't talk to you. This isn't about you, it's about me. I did something that I regret dearly and Aline has never gotten over it. I don't like her anymore but she won't leave me alone. I chose you over her and she's extremely jealous. By pretending that I don't like you she'll leave you alone. Please don't take this as a sign that I don't like you, I really do._

_P.S. I zoned out and don't get this at all. Study at my house tonight after school? ;)_

Clary read the note over and over to make sure that she wasn't imagining things. She smiled to herself as she flipped the page over and wrote:

_Jace, that makes sense. She looks pretty smug right now, let's hope that she doesn't notice this note. And I zoned out too, I'd love to study at your house. See you after school. Are you giving me a ride home?_

Clary stealthily placed the note in his palm and felt the heat of his hand on hers. He read it quickly then signed yes with a stiff nod, indicating that she would get a ride home.

For the rest of the day Clary hung out with Maia and Isabelle. They were really fun to be around and Clary enjoyed their friendship. At first Isabelle and Maia could seem like the stereotypical pretty teenagers that pick on the ugly girls, but they were actually some of the best friends that you could have. She was supportive, defensive, funny and caring. Clary was actually so happy that they were her friends.

Talking about Alec.

Alec had been having a terrible day. Nothing seemed to work out the way that he wanted. He was so side tracked that he almost forgot to stop at a stop sign! He was normally an excellent driver, apart from when rushed, so he knew that something really was wrong.

He tried to keep up with the conversation in the car but he couldn't do it. His mind just wasn't in it. He was thinking about Clary and Jace. Jace was his adoptive brother but he loved him like they were siblings. The part that was bothering him was Clary. There was something about her, a secret that she wouldn't tell anyone. Everyone else just shook it off saying that she'd tell them when she's ready but Alec knew that maybe there was a reason that she wasn't telling them it.

Or maybe, another voice in his head said, she just isn't sure about their reactions. He sighed, he didn't want to think about it anymore.

Alec dropped Clary off at her house and went to his. His siblings still hadn't noticed that he wasn't really paying attention to them.

"I'm going for a walk," he told them but they didn't notice. They were getting into an argument. Again. It seemed like they were always going at each other.

He was walking by Clary's house and saw that they door opened.

Talking about Clary.

Clary found Isabelle and they chatted aimlessly as they waited for Alec and Jace to get a ride home. They all piled into the car and kept up a light conversation. Clary's heart beat kept increasing the closer they got to their houses. She would go home and drop off her extra books and then walk to the Lightwood's house to hang out with Jace.

She got to the front door and struggled through her bag for the key and shoved it in the lock in a rush to leave. When she turned the key she realized that the door wasn't locked, not a good sign. She opened the door and called out a timid, "Hello?"

She was answered by her father's voice, "Clarissa, you're home early. I would think that it takes more than 5 minutes to walk from Idris High to here." He walked out from his study to look at her.

"I got a drive home." She tried to keep her voice even but it still shook under the pressure that her father's presence put on her.

"With the Lightwoods?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I'm going over there right now to study."

"Study? You haven't been here a week yet and you're already studying? No, you aren't allowed to go over."

"Just because I've only been here a week doesn't mean that there aren't tests! The section of math started well before I came to Idris and it's the unit test on Monday. I need to study for it."

"It's a Friday night and you're going over to a residence where two boys live. I will not tolerate raging teenage girl hormones in this house!"

"Father, this isn't raging teenage hormones! I need to study for math." Clary yelled and rebelliously opened the door to leave. She wasn't sure where this new found courage came from but she let it build inside her.

"Clarissa Morgenstern. I forbid you to leave this house." Her father's eyes were dark as ordered her.

"No, I'm going out studying tonight." Clary said stubbornly and turned to walk out of the open door but her father tightly grabbed her arm. She let out a little whimper at the pain from his hand on her bruises but refused to comply.

"Listen to me!" Her father roared, pulling her roughly to face him. Clary looked into his eyes and saw the same harshness in them that she had seen when she had come home from the hospital. Suddenly his eyes froze above her head and let her go. She turned around to see that they had a spectator. She looked at him, and lightly whispered his name.

"Alec."

**Oh and ps its reviews that make me write faster!! :D:D, I LOVE THEM!**

**Is it possible to be addicted to reviews...?**

**I really think that i am.**

**No joke.**


	10. Chapter 10 Secrets

**SORRY! Im so so so sorry for the wait!! I didnt mean for it to take this long its just that i didnt know how to write it and then i finished it on friday but it seemed too short but i didnt see any where that i could add anything and asdfghjkl. I'm not completely happy with this chapter but i hope that you are!! Okay, I made you wait too long for this chapter so I'll let you read it. Here is the too long postponed tenth chapter:**

**Recap:**

_"Listen to me!" Her father roared, pulling her roughly to face him. Clary looked into his eyes and saw the same harshness in them that she had seen when she had come home from the hospital. Suddenly his eyes froze above her head and let her go. She turned around to see that they had a spectator. She looked at him, and lightly whispered his name._

_"Alec."_

Chapter 10 - Secrets

Clary stared at Alec as he stood there, stupefied by what he had just seen. His eyes traveled to Clary's arm where her father had grasped her so roughly.

Clary took advantage of the sudden change in events to grab her school bag and run out the door. She grabbed the handle behind her slamming the door. Tears started pouring out of her eyes and she wasn't certain why. She had wanted someone to know, hadn't she?

She started running, where she wasn't sure. She just let her feet take her away. Take her away from her father, away from Alec who saw it. With tears in her eyes she could barely make out where she was going.

"Clary!" Alec called as he ran after her. Clary heard him calling but it was mostly blocked out because of the pounding in her ears. It felt as if she were being deafened by the sound of her heart.

Her legs guided her easily over the rough terrain but then suddenly they stopped. They had reached their destination. Clary opened her eyes to see a rough shack with the words ALEC AND JACE on the front.

"Clary!" Alec called again, wondering where she was going. He recognized the path to his and Jace's club house but didn't know how Clary could know where it was. He leapt through the forest swiftly, his feet light on the undergrowth. He saw her light blue shirt stop suddenly in the distance, right near the homemade house.

He slowed his pace, jogging into the clearing to find Clary staring at the shack.

"Clary?" Alec's voice was soft. He reached out his hand to touch her shoulder but she winced, so he withdrew it. "Clary, are you okay?"

She looked at him, her eyes still red and puffy from crying and tears streaming down her face. Clary looked into his blue eyes and saw nothing but carrying and kindness. She felt her knees weaken, the only people that had ever had that look on their faces was her mother and Jace. Here she was, in the middle of a forest with someone she has only exchanged a few words with and he cared for her. She felt her arms move on their own accord and wind their way around his neck. She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder, bawling into his sweater.

His arms wrapped around her small body, protecting her from her invisible fears. His hand moved back and forth on her back soothingly as he whispered into her ear, "It's okay Clary, everything will work out. Just tell me what happened."

Listening to his smooth voice melted any self restraint she had left. Clary told him everything. She explained about her mother dying and her father beating her. She told him about Jace, and how he had seen her bruises but she was too scared to tell him the truth.

"It's okay Clary," Alec said, calming her down, "Everything will sort itself out."

"But you don't get it! I disobeyed him. I ran away! He's going to… to…" Clary couldn't finish the sentence but Alec knew what she meant. He father would be angry. Very angry. He'd punish Clary for this, and she'd hurt.

"Shush Clary, everything will work out. Why don't you sleep over with Isabelle tonight and then tell the police tomorrow?"

Clary paused for a moment. The police, of course. Why didn't she think of that before? "Thank you so much Alec! The police, I'm so stupid!" Then a new problem came to her. "How do I explain it to Jace?"

"The same way you did to me, just keep it light. You don't want him to completely freak out. You should relax tonight, calm down with Izzy. Tomorrow we'll go with you to the police station and you can tell them then." Alec smiled at her

Clary replied with a big hug. She should've told someone much earlier than this. She was happy that it was Alec that had seen her and not Jace. He would've over reacted; he wouldn't have been able to think of a plan like Alec. But tonight Jace would know. She'd tell him everything, including Alec's plan. Hopefully Jace wouldn't do anything too extreme, it would all work out.

Alec took her hand in his and helped to direct her out of the forest. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and was so happy that he was her friend. That through all these terrible series of incidences there was Alec to help her.

They finally got back to the Lightwood house and Alec released her hand to open the door. The first thing that Clary noticed was Isabelle's voice which was yelling to Jace. Apparently Jace had hid some of her clothes which she had planned to wear that night. Then she noticed that polished wood floors, spotless beige walls, Persian rugs and leather couches. The last of which held her attention because she saw Jace sprawled out on one, a game controller in his hands.

He looked up as she walked in and a smile engulfed his beautiful features. He stopped his game with a few buttons on the controller and got up to walk to her. His arms found their way around her slim waist as hers around his neck. He then noticed that Alec was with her and the dried up tears on her cheeks.

"What..?" He questioned as he looked between the two.

Clary's emerald eyes met his golden ones and she spoke slowly, "Jace, there's something that I need to tell you." She looked into his face and he gave her a small smile as a response. He was finally going to understand what was bothering her, he was finally going to be able to protect her like he's wanted to ever since the moment that he had seen her.

Jace led her to the perfectly clean leather sofa that Clary had noticed earlier and they both sunk into it comfortably. He positioned them comfortably so that she was being held in his arms with her head on her shoulder.

Clary took a deep breath and then let it out, calming her nerves. For some reason it had been so much easier to explain this to Alec.

"I used to live in New York with my mom. Two weeks ago a police officer came to my door." Clary's voice cracked as she recalled the tall man in the uniform standing in her entryway bearing the bad news. "He told me that there was a terrible accident. A truck lost control on the highway and hit my mothers' car, killing her." She felt tears fall down her face again but she made no move to wipe them away. She just stared at a blank spot on the white wall and let everything fall away.

"I was sent to my dad's house to live, even though I've never met him before. My mom had left him while pregnant with me. He ignored me, which was actually preferable. I cleaned my room of the dust and made it seem homier, but there was still something wrong.

"The third night that I was there, my dad came home later than usual. He came through the front door stumbling, he was so drunk. His eyes were black, absent as he walked into my room. He come really close to me, picked me up and threw me onto my bed. He said that it was my fault that he had lost everything that he had ever loved. Then he hit me, again and again." Clary unconsciously felt Jace's arms tighten around her but she was so absorbed with her story that she barely recognized the action.

"When I woke up I could barely move. My muscles had cramped and refused to budge. I had large green and purple bruises splattered across my torso and forearms.

"On the first day of school, he came home drunk again, and I went down to the main hall to meet him. I thought that maybe if I complied, then he wouldn't be so harsh. No, that was not the case. As I backed away from him, I tripped over my umbrella stand, spraining my ankle.

"My father kept telling me that I was worthless, that I was nothing and would become nothing. I started to believe him, and began pushing everyone away, especially you. My heart was the only thing that couldn't be damaged by my father, so I needed to keep it safe. Then I realized that it was only hurting me more pushing away, and I gave in.

"When you saw my bruises at the hospital, I reacted badly. I thought that you knew the entire story, not just part of it. I was afraid of what you would think of me. I thought that you'd hate me, never talk to me again after that.

"I got home from the hospital and my dad was fuming. Completely enraged but yet completely sober which made it even more frightening. This was the worst by far. He wouldn't stop, he didn't seem like he would ever stop. Then you came to the door and woke him up, effectively ending his wrath. I was so happy when I heard your voice that I momentarily had enough energy to call out your name. My dad slammed the door on your face and carried me to my bed where I fell asleep."

"When I got home from school today I wanted to drop off some books so that I could come over here, but my dad was home. I opened the door and tried to leave but he grabbed my arm. Alec was walking outside and saw what had happened which made my father freeze. I pulled my arm away and ran."

Clary looked over to Jace. Jace sat there, stunned. He was still taking it all in, there was so much information. There were so many answers in what she had said that he was still trying to wrap his head around it. His eyes met hers and saw that she was scared. Bringing up his hand gently, he wiped the remaining tears off of her beautiful face.

Jace was still gazing deeply into Clary's eyes but she didn't seem reassured. Yes he was furious at her father, angry that it had to be her of all girls and annoyed that she hadn't told him but he wasn't going to show her. The last thing that she needed right now was someone to over react and make things worse for everyone. She had already told Alec so he would've already come up with an amazing plan.

He bent his head down, his lips brushing lightly over hers and her eyes flickered closed and opened again, still looking at him. Then he pressed his lips hard against her and felt every nerve in his body light up. He was hyper sensitive about every part of his body that was touching her, especially his lips.

She broke the kiss with a gasp. Looking at him with a confused expression, "Wh-what? Why?" She stuttered, trying to figure out what she was feeling. She thought of how she imagined him reacting, his face contorting into one of anger. "I-I thought… react…" She couldn't form a complete sentence.

"I trust you to make the right decisions." He looked at her and smiled at the relief that spread across her features.

"Why?"

"I love you." The words had just come out naturally, but Jace felt deep in his core that they were the truth. How could he love her, he barely even knew her, the rational part of his mind argued.

She pressed her face against his in response, their lips meeting and Jace could feel that she loved him too.

**Sorry it's so short, it just felt like the right moment to end it!! I think that the next chapter might just be a fun clary/isabelle chapter?? You know, since she is sleepin gover and all... if it is a c/i chappie then itll be short :P, but probably updated earlier?? I dont know, what ever feels right I'll write :)**


	11. Chapter 11 Party Anyone?

Clary stayed there, enveloped in Jace's arms for what seemed like forever. It was perfect, her head resting in the soft part of his shoulder while his hand gently rubbed her back. He kissed her forehead as she dug her head deeper into his shoulder wanting to stay there forever.

The moment was suddenly broken by an alarm going off. Clary looked around, worried, as Jace sighed, "Not again Isabelle..."

"What..?" Clary started to ask but Jace was already off. He rushed to the kitchen and threw open windows, expertly waving a towel in front of the fire alarm to turn it off. Alec was there too, waving his own towel while Isabelle opened the oven and thick cloud of black smoke came out. The fan was turned on, and the room slowly cleared.

Once they managed to get the alarm off, Jace and Alec both turned to Isabelle who looked at them innocently. She put on her best puppy-dog look and stared at them with her big brown eyes. The boys rolled their eyes and asked her, "Well what'd you do this time!"

Isa belle looked at them, then looked at Clary, and said, "Alec told me about Clary, he didn't think that she'd want to tell the story three times," Clary looked at Alec thankfully, "So I assumed that she was sleeping over! She is right? Well, slumber party right! So I decided, we should go to a club tonight!" Isabelle beamed at the other three.

"I really don't think that that's a good idea..." Jace looked around nervous, clearly uncomfortable with the thought of bringing Clary to a club. "Besides, she has nothing to wear!"

"I know, that's what I was thinking, and why I got distracted while making cookies! I was looking through my closet for something for her to wear and I found the perfect dress! I was looking for accessories to match it when the alarm went off and I remembered about the cookies."

"Umm..." Clary itched the back of her head thoughtfully. She'd never been to a club before, she's not old enough to drink alcohol, and with all the troubles with her father she'd much rather just stay at their house.

"Come on Clary! It would be fun, you need a night to not worry about anything!" Isabelle smiled, truly amazed by her plan.

"Isabelle..." Jace started, before being cut off by Alec.

"You know what? This might be a good idea! This has been a lot to take in and I know I would very much appreciate a night out."

Jace still looked uncomfortable with the idea, but he looked at Clary who was looking at him. She smiled at him and said, "This might actually be a good idea!" Looking back at Isabelle, she frowned, "I don't know what Alec told you, but will the dress cover the bruises...?"

"Yes! That's why I was looking for the perfect dress. You're going to love it! Come with me, I'll show you." She was practically bouncing as she led Clary to her room. To Jace she said, "Meet us here in an hour, and you better look hot cause she will." She winked at him and disappeared around the corner, Clary following in her wake.

Entering Isabelle's room was like walking into a small salon, there was designer clothes everywhere, with top end make up and accessories displayed all around. Clary looked around in awe, scared to touch anything, it was all so beautiful. Isabelle disappeared into her closet and Clary noticed how huge it was, almost the size of her room at her father's house! Clary looked at the pictures on her wall, and saw pictures of Isabelle, Alec and Jace from when they were young. She laughed at one of Isabelle and Alec teaming up on Jace shooting him with water guns. She wondered what Jace would have been like as a young boy. Was he still cocky or did he learn that as he got older?

Isabelle broke her out of her reverie by asking her how she liked the dress. Clary turned around to look at it and gasped. It was gorgeous. It was emerald green, matching her eyes. Long sleeves covering her arms, form fitting to show off her small curves. The cut-off was high, but Isabelle had pulled out a pair of thick nylons, to cover the bruises on her legs.

"It's beautiful!" Clary stammered.

The dress fit, and the girls talked while Isabelle did Clary's makeup and hair. After some small chat, Isabelle started the deep conversation, "I hope you really love him, Clary."

"I do, and it's crazy, the only thing that my father can't hurt is my heart, yet I've still managed to lose it."

"You didn't lose it, you gave it to Jace, and trust me, he will keep it safe, he won't hurt you."

"I know he will, I trust him, but that's what I'm worried about. He's going to protect me from my father the best he can, but my father can't hurt me right now. Even if he hits me, knowing that I have Jace will always keep my spirits up, it gives me a reason to not give up. If Jace interferes, my father will hurt him instead, which would hurt me more."

"That makes perfect sense, but there's no way you can keep Jace away if you're in trouble. I've known Jace most of my life and one thing that hasn't change is his incredible stubbornness. Sometimes it's annoying, but if he really wants something he'll fight for it, until he gets it his way."

"It's worse though if he gets in the way!"

"That's why tomorrow morning we'll go to the police station, tell the cops. That's the only way to get out of it."

There was a knock on the door, and Alec's voice drifted through the wood, "Hey! Are you guys almost done in there? We're ready!"

"Yeah, we'll be out in a sec!" Isabelle replied curling one last piece of Clary's hair. "There!" She said, spinning Clary's chair towards the mirror.

"Wow," was all she could say. She didn't remember looking this good in her life, the dress brought out the green in her eyes, which were surrounded by natural-looking makeup that made her eyes pop. Isabelle pulled on a little silver dress and knee high boots.

She led the way as Clary followed her to the front door, where Alec and Jace were leaning against the wall talking to each other. Alec looked up, and saw Clary, his mouth opened, Isabelle was right. The dress was perfect, it covered all of her bruises but wasn't obvious about it.

Jace saw Alec look up, and turned around to see what he was looking at. He looked right past Isabelle and saw the little flats that Clary was wearing. The nylon on her legs, making them look unmarked. The mid-thigh length green dress that hugged her curves. Her unruly hair, finally tamed into perfect ringlets. But the most beautiful part was her smile. The confidence was evident in her smile that reached all the way to her eyes. He tried to tell her how beautiful she looked, but the words wouldn't come out, instead he took her hand and smiled back at her.

Isabelle looked at the two of them, then at her brother, and said "Damn I'm good, so you ready to go? I promise that tonight will be a night to remember!"


	12. Chapter 12 A Night To Remember

**Hey! I don't know if you can tell but this is the second update like right after another so its awesome for you! :) I just got a sudden inspiration (after like a year...) and I've been bored so whatever's going on is working for writing! I wont be able to for the next few days, but after that I'll try to keep the awesome inspiration going!**

**Oh! And I didn't know how far/how detailed you wanted me to get Clary/Jace wise so if you could tell me if you want more detail, or less, or less vague when I'm talking about sexual stuff go right ahead! I want to know what you think :)**

**I don't own anything!**

**Enjoy chapter 12:)**

The club was packed, strobe light flashing and music blaring into Jace's ears. He hated the idea of being with Clary at the Pandemonium. It was the only club for miles, so it attracted the strangest of people. She looked so pure and innocent compared to all the tattooed and pierced people surrounding them. He recognized some of them though, girls that had attempted to get into his pants over the last year. It wasn't unknown to him that he was attractive, but he would never use it to get a girl.

They had just arrived, but Isabelle had already disappeared, already found the boy she would try to get for the night. Jace, Alec and Clary made their way awkwardly towards the bar, trying to make their way through the mass of people. Isabelle had talked their way in, but Clary clearly looked too young to be drinking, even Isabelle wasn't that good.

Suddenly, someone jumped up onto the bar and started singing the words of the song that was playing, attractive everyone's attention. The first part Jace saw was his multicoloured spiky hair sticking out in every direction. He was wearing tight leather pants and a vibrant t-shirt with the top buttons open. When the song ended everyone started cheering and he bowed, then jumped off the bar, right in front of the three, allowing them to finally get a good look at him.

"Doctor Bane!" Alec asked, shocked. What was the doctor doing at a club! He stared at him, and the doctor stared right back, and winked at him again.

"Well just because I was a doctor did you think that I wouldn't have fun?" He smiled big, showing off shiny white teeth. He looked so young that it shocked Alec, how could he be a doctor yet appear to be in his early twenties?

"No it's not that, I thought you were older..." Alec said sheepishly then mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking, not all doctors were old, they had to start somewhere right? But didn't medical school take a long time? Why did he even care? There was something about this sparkly man that intrigued him, and he wanted to know what.

"Naah, I skipped a few grades when I was younger, graduating university early, but why are we talking about this! Clary you look good, not as wounded as the last time we met. But come on, I'll buy you all drinks, it's on me!"

"No thank you," Jace said politely but firmly, "Alec have fun with the doctor, but Clary and I aren't drinking tonight." He looked at Clary as he said that, and knew that it was for the best. From the look in her eye she had never been to a club before, much less drank underage. He put his arm around her and rubbed her arm, and she smiled at him. Alec glanced at them and thankfully left them. He followed the doctor, who said his name was Magnus, glad to have a reason to not be a third wheel.

"Do you want to dance?" Clary asked looking at Jace. She smiled at him and pulled him up, "Come on!"

She led him to the middle of the dance floor. There were people everywhere, pushing the two together so that their bodies were rubbing against each other as they moved. This was the closest that Jace had ever been to Clary, and it was electrifying. He could feel every point where their bodies were touching. He could feel her heat through her dress as they swayed to the beat.

She turned to face away from him and put her hands above her head, following the lead of the rest of the dancers. He tried not to groan as her butt rubbed against his body. This wasn't the first time he'd danced with a girl, but this was different than all those other times. Clary's touch was driving him crazy. He'd never felt anything like this before, and he didn't know what to do.

Jace put his hands on her hips and she felt his touch through the thin fabric of the dress. She knew how to dance, but had never really had the opportunity to show it off to anyone. She'd been to a few parties with Simon, but they were mostly boring, barely requiring her to really dance. But right as she started she knew that this was going to be different. Jace was an experienced dancer, but it wasn't his skills that were driving her crazy. His every touch seemed to make her heart race, making it hard to breath.

The feeling of them in that moment was so intense that neither of them wanted it to end. By the end of the song they were both breathing hard and Clary was leaning against his chest, feeling his heart beat just as fast as hers. She looked up and him and excused herself to the bathroom, she needed to be alone to think about what just happened, she didn't understand. The connection that she had with him was crazy, she needed a moment to cool down from that.

Jace was relieved when she excused herself and said that he'd get them drinks. He wouldn't have been able to last that much longer without his pants embarrassing him. And he definitely did NOT want to do that to Clary she's the kind of girl that would do anything just to make him happy, even if she wasn't comfortable with it. He didn't want them to do anything together he decided, she's so pure and innocent.

He shook his head, this is not normal, he thought. Usually when he comes here, he follows a girl into the storage room, they have some fun. He never asks for her number, she never gives it. It's a good system, and the girls here understand that, but Clary's different. He can't imagine NOT calling her the next day.

Clary walked out of the washroom, feeling a little better. Her head was clearer but the sounds of the couple in one of the stalls didn't help. She can't help wondering if that's what Jace wanted to do with her, or if he didn't, was there something wrong? She imagined that that's what he normally did when he came here by the looks that girls were giving him, as if it was unusual that he brought a girl, she doubted that he even noticed them, but she did.

She walked towards the bar to find him, and she immediately saw him and smiled, before she realized the three girls surrounding him. Jealousy raged inside her, and she made her way to him, glaring at the girls.

Jace looked up nervously as Clary was walking towards him, obviously not impressed with his current situation. Three girls had come talk to him, but after rejecting their demands to dance multiple times, they still didn't understand that he was taken.

Clary walked up and cleared her throat, the girls looking at her. The look she gave them could kill, but the girls were either too drunk or didn't care.

"This is your girlfriend," the blond said as she looked Clary up and down, "You could do so much better."

"I could do you so much better," the brunette said, winking at Jace.

"I'm really not interested," Jace said, standing up. He reached to grab Clary's hand and leave when the third girl stood up and pressed her body against his. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. His eyes went wide and he pushed her away shaking his head.

"The offers there whenever!" She yelled and laughed, going on to the next attractive boy she found.

"What did she tell you?" Clary asked curiously.

"It's very inappropriate... I'll tell you when you're older," he said and winked at her leaving her thinking about what she could have possibly said to make him so surprised.

They met up with Isabelle who looked furious, "Another asshole! Why can't there be any nice guys around here! Where's Alec? It's time to go." She looked around, "Is that him with the colourful guy?"

"Oh yeah! That's doctor Bane, Alec!" Jace yelled, catching his attention. He signalled for him to come over and he stumbled to his friends. "Wow Alec, how much did you drink?"

"Not th-that much," he slurred, "but it was r-really strong..." He bumped into another table on his way out, getting a laugh from the other three.

"I'll drive," Jace volunteered; looking at the two Lightwoods didn't give him much hope at getting safely home. They all laughed and agreed, smiles all around.

"See I told you it was a good plan, coming here!" Isabelle laughed as she thought of her plan.

"Yeah," They all agreed, it was a good night. Jace and Clary thought of the connection that they had on the dance floor. The intensity that neither of them understood. Isabelle thought of the guy that had brought her a drink after her guy tried to get into her pants, and how he had calmed her down. He had an odd name, she couldn't really remember it, but he put his number in her phone, she'd check it in the morning. And finally, Alec thought of Magnus, he still hadn't figured out what intrigued him about the man, but every second talking to him made it worse. He really wanted to know what it was, but he was ready for bed, he had drunk too much and he knew it.

They all stumbled into the Lightwoods house, well past midnight. They were quiet, all ready for bed when the living room light turned on and there was a man sitting in the chair staring at them.

"Well, where were you guys gone to until this late hour?" He asked.

"We were at the Pandemonium Hodge, sorry for not telling you," Isabelle said, seeming completely normal, "Clary here is new to town and we wanted to show her a bit of the younger side of the town, she's sleeping over too!"

"Yes I've met her before, and I assume that your father knows you were out at a club last night? I don't think that he'll be very happy with that. You're all grounded, your irresponsible actions have left Clary's father worried about his daughter, and I couldn't tell him where you were because I was unaware! He was concerned about his daughter's whereabouts as he should have been. Clary go home, you guys go to bed."

"But Hodge! It's so late, it would be rude to wake him up at this time of the night, let her stay the night, she'll go back first thing tomorrow morning!" Jace said quickly, he couldn't let her go back there, never.

"Alright that sounds acceptable, give me the keys to the van."

"Why!" Isabelle gasped.

"Because you're grounded. Now go to bed before I change my decision of letting her stay the night."

Jace followed the group upstairs and became nervous, how was he supposed to get Clary to the police station now...?

**BTW reviews inspire me to keep writing me :) they encourage me and let me know that I'm not failing at life here, I love you guys! **


	13. Chapter 13 Escape

**Hey! This is another update, I'm hoping to get one done tomorrow but maybe not, I'll try to get as many as I can this week because next week I'm going on vacation and will probably not be able to.**

**This chapter has a lot of action in it, I hate writing it but it was necessary for what I want, it would just be too boring to let them walk out of the house and live happily ever after right? You have to fight for your happily ever after, and trust me, over the next few chapters there will definitely be a lot of fighting.**

Clary woke up in Isabelle's bed, it was still dark. Jace was beside her, shaking her awake. She could see the outline of his golden locks in the moonlight shining through the curtains.

She smiled, loving the way his hair fell in his face, how his rough hands gently woke her up. She looked him over, a smile plastered to her face, until she saw his. His golden eyes were full of worry, his mouth a tight line. "What..?" she started before he shushed her. He put his finger to his lips, indicating to Isabelle who was still fast asleep.

As quietly as possible she got up, and noticed Jace carrying a bag on his shoulder. She didn't know what was happening, but all of her senses were alert.

They walked soundlessly through the house as Jace grabbed more items to put in his backpack. Clothes, band aids, toothbrush... it seemed like all the pieces were coming together. Clary realized suddenly, he was planning on running away, just the two of them. She was shocked, not able to image what the Lightwoods would think of them, cowards, running away.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made though that they'd run away. She was in danger; she would be hurt badly if her father ever got his hands on her. Part of her just liked the idea of leaving with Jace, just the two of them. Him protecting her, kissing her maybe when she was sad..? Jace broke her thoughts by passing her the bag, insisting that she hold it. Confused, she took it anyways, there must be something else he has to hold...

Jace had made his plan as he tried in vain to sleep when they had returned from the Pandemonium. Clary couldn't go back to her father, he wouldn't let it happen! His brain just went through possibility after possibility until he came up with the best plan that he could. Before dawn, he stirred from his bed. He grabbed clothes for the both of them, money, necessities, and went to wake her up.

When he caught sight of her, his heart skipped a beat. She looked so peaceful, innocent sleeping on the bed, her face devoid of the stress and pain that has followed her around recently. Looking at her like this, it was easy to believe that they were just regular teenagers, in love. He brushed a stray curl from across her face and she started to wake.

She looked at him and smiled, killing him on the inside. She's fearless, he thought. She must be, to be smiling at a time like this. All he could think about was getting her to safety, no matter what happened to him, she was going to be safe.

As he grabbed extra things on the way to the front door, he passed Clary the bag. She looked at him quizzically, but he shook it off, not answering. She doesn't need to know, he reasoned. She doesn't need to know that I don't plan on going with her. That if all else fails, she'll have enough to take care of herself.

They turn the last corner before the front door, only to see Hodge sitting there. He had moved his chair to in front of the door and blocked the way.

"Go back to bed," he stated, "This is not a time for children to be out of bed."

Jace grabbed Clary's arm and moved her protectively behind him, "That's alright, we were just leaving." He said in his usual confident attitude.

"And where do you suppose you're going? Taking Clary home at last? It's way past time for her to go."

"No we were planning on going for a nice drive around the country; I hear it's really nice this time of year..."

"You don't think that he'll find you? He has resources, unlike any you've ever seen before. His men follow his every command. You're getting on his bad side Jace, that's not someplace you want to be..."

"Let us go Hodge, you don't have to be one of them, bring us to the police station and it will all go away!"

Hodge laughed, "He will never go away, and you aren't leaving."

"Make me." Jace stepped closer to Hodge, who was still laughing.

"Alright," he said, and pulled out his revolver. Jace heard Clary gasp behind him. "Still want to go so fast?"

Jace looked like a blur he moved so fast, tackling Hodge off of his feet, knocking the gun out of his hands. As athletic and strong as Jace was, Hodge was experienced, anticipating Jace's moves before he did them.

"Clary... Run!" Jace yelled while rolling on the floor with Hodge, trying to keep him away from the gun.

Clary paused for a second, feeling guilty about leaving him behind, but this must be why he gave her the bag. He knew this was going to happen. Swearing at him colourfully in her head as she ran towards the door. She pulled it open and ran into the night, the moon covered by thick clouds. She got maybe two steps before Jace heard her scream.

"Clarissa... Where do you think you're going?" She heard his voice in her ear as his arms wrapped around her, trapping her in his grip.

"Away from you," she said, trying to act like Jace, trying to get his strength.

"You'll always be mine, your mother tried to get away, but there's no getting away. Do you think that it was an accident the truck driver lost control...?" He pushed her away from him and hit her face. "Don't you even think anything otherwise." With that he hit her face again, knocking her unconscious.

"Clary!" Jace called her name after hearing her scream, but he was distracted long enough for Hodge to get to upper hand. He got out from under Jace and grabbed the gun. Jace didn't know, and retackled Hodge, as he shot the firearm.

There was a loud bang, and the next thing Jace felt was a blinding pain in his left arm. His bicep felt like it was on fire. He stopped his assault, stunned that Hodge had shot him. Hodge overtook him, tying him to a chair, then went to get medical supplies as the blood soaked Jace's sleeve, slowly dripping down his arm.

He got back, about to put a bandage on when a noise at the door captured his attention, so he quickly hid the first aid kit and said; "Valentine! I see you caught her?"

"Yes, but she put up a little fight, it was easy to overpower her." He looked at Jace, "Thank you by the way, you just made everything a lot easier..." and winked at him.

He left and dragged Clary to his basement, where he tied her up to the cold concrete, making her wake up. She didn't say anything, she just stared at Valentine as he tied her up. Looking into his lifeless eyes wondering what she did to deserve a parent like this.

He tied her last foot too tight, making her let out a noise but he didn't do anything. He finished tying her up then left without a word.

Jace sat there, and waited as Hodge took a great care to bandage him up. Hodge told him that he missed any arteries; that he would be alright in a few weeks. All the while Jace didn't say anything, he was slowly getting used to the pain but it was his mind that was bothering him. He couldn't understand how his uncle, his mentor, could shoot him. Straight up look, aim, pull the trigger, then continue on as if it's alright and he just needs a band aid.

After the wound was healed and a clean bandage was put over it, Hodge put a dirty rag that was used to clean the wound on top so that it was all bloody.

Valentine came through the front door without knocking, "Good, you still have him under control and stopped him from bleeding for the time being. He doesn't deserve to heal," Valentine walked right up to Jace, "I hope it hurts." He poked his finger at it making Jace cry out. Looking at Hodge he asked, "Have you thought of what you wanted to do with him?"

"Yes, and I was thinking that we shouldn't kill him..."

"No? I was actually looking forward to it... My men would love that."

Hodge laughed nervously, "No we shouldn't kill him, you could keep him in your basement with the girl and we could pretend that they ran off together, that we can't find them."

"Hmm..." Valentine pondered the thought, it was a good plan, and the Lightwoods would probably expect that the two of them would run off. "Good, so I guess I'll take him now." He grabbed Jace by the bad arm and pulled him up, untying him from the chair. Before he was done he leaned in close and whispered, "You try anything, and I'll make sure that they punish her, for a long time, right in front of you."

Jace couldn't bear to think of what they would do to her, so he just accepted the fact that he would be taken to Valentines, to Clary's house.

When Valentine pushed Jace through the front door two men attacked him from either side. They hit him everywhere they could, and with his hands tied behind his back he couldn't protect himself. He dropped to the floor where they started kicking him.

"Enough." Valentine's voice broke through the beating, and like well trained dogs they stopped, and dragged him downstairs, tying him to a cold, concrete wall. They marched back upstairs and slammed the door, leaving Jace in pitch black. Alone, cold, and wishing he could have protected Clary better than how he had.

"Jace...? Is that you?" Clary's feeble voice drifted through the darkness to the new body that had been tied up on the other side of the room.

She heard a noise that sounded like a grunt, "Clary..." The voice was weak, barely a whisper, but she would recognize that voice anywhere. Jace was there, he was there with her, and she smiled at the thought then winced at the newly forming bruise on her cheek.

If she was stuck down here, at least she was with him. Whatever happened, they'd go through it together.

"I love you..." She whispered into the shadows and closed her eyes, willing sleep to take her.

**So that's it! :)**

**How did you like it? Did you expect it? Or maybe you just wanted them to get their happily ever after but nope, they've gotta deserve it. And they haven't yet, I still have a lot of plot to go through sorry if this one seemed rushed! **

**If you have any ideas that you would like to happen just review it or message me, either one works! :) **

**I read everything, so don't think that your opinion doesn't count**

**I truly love you guys... :)**


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